Tarpaulin structure

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a tarpaulin structure for an understructure, such as a truck, trailer, semi-trailer, railway car, dump truck or container, comprising a folding-top frame (16) and a tarpaulin (12) made of weather-resistant material, the folding-top frame (16) includes a plurality of struts (34); at the end, each of the struts has a carriage (32) that is movable along a guide (20), at least one bracket (36) is selectively pivotally connected to a pair of opposite carriages (32; 32′) of the strut or to the strut (34); said bracket (36) forming a tarpaulin folding aid along with a bracket (26; 36) of an adjacent strut (34), of a pair of opposite carriages (32; 32′) or of a stationary part (24) of the folding-top frame (16). In order to create a light-weight tarpaulin structure that allows an understructure to be reliably covered, according to the invention, the adjacent brackets (26, 36) are coupled to each other by means of a kinematic connecting rod assembly (38) that folds when the folding-top frame (16) is collapsed.

The invention relates to a tarpaulin structure for an understructure,such as a truck, trailer, semi-trailer, railway car, dump truck orcontainer, comprising a folding-top frame and a tarpaulin made ofweather-resistant material, wherein the folding-top frame has aplurality of struts which have, on the ends, in each case a carriagewhich is displaceable along a guide.

Such tarpaulin structures are known from practice for the purpose ofopening up openable roofs, wherein, in general, the bows are made of apair of rods articulated to the oppositely situated carriages, whichrods, at their ends situated opposite the carriages, in turn have anarticulation in which a further rod is pivotably mounted. The plate thatincludes the joint spaced apart from the carriages then has a furtherjoint for the connected bow, which is of similar construction. Adisadvantage of the known tarpaulin structures is that the bows have arelatively large angle relative to the horizontal, which indeedfacilitates the movement in a vertical direction for the raising of thetarpaulin, but which practically does not promote the transmission offorces in a movement direction. In this way, tilting of the carriagesthat are connected to one another by way of struts easily occurs,leading to blockage of the folding-top frame. As a countermeasure, thestrut that rigidly connects the oppositely situated carriages to oneanother is often of very massive form, which in turn has thedisadvantage that the tolerances of the guide must be reducedpractically to zero so that the folding-top frame can be moved. Afurther disadvantage consists in that the interconnected bows, in thearea of their connection, permit a relative movement with respect to oneanother in the direction of the guide, in the vertical direction and inthe transverse direction perpendicular thereto, whereby forces andtorques that are introduced into a carriage on one side practicallycannot be transmitted via the bows into the adjacent carriage. This hasthe result that the folding-top frames of the known tarpaulin structuresalways require a symmetrical introduction of the movement force, that isto say, for example, the movement force must be introduced centrally,but generally must be introduced equally on both sides. A furtherdisadvantage of the known arrangement consists in that it can be pushedtogether, with folding of the tarpaulin, only in an area of theunderstructure which still covers the loading opening of theunderstructure, whereby the loading opening is not fully opened up. Thisis a disadvantage in particular in the case of railway cars, because, asa result, a part of the loading space is lost.

DE 20 2014 005 077 U1 describes a tarpaulin structure for anunderstructure, comprising a folding-top frame and a tarpaulin made ofweather-resistant material, wherein the folding-top frame includes aplurality of struts; at the end, each of the struts has a carriage thatis movable along a guide. To each pair of opposite carriages, at leastone bow is selectively pivotally connected, forming a tarpaulin foldingaid along with a bow of an adjacent pair of carriages, wherein the bowsof the tarpaulin folding aid are connected to one another. Here, theconnected bows include a pivot angle limiter which allows only limitedpivoting of the bows, so that, when the carriages are moved, the bowscannot turn over in the direction of an open position. A disadvantagehere is that, in the open state, the tarpaulin structure has a largeinstallation height resulting from the length of the bow. Furthermore, alength compensation for adaptation to an understructure can beimplemented only by selecting a clear distance of the movable portion ofthe folding-top frame from a rear abutment and the bow connectedthereto. A covering bow must be pivoted up in several steps, wherein thecovering bow rests less reliably on the understructure and cannot belocked thereto in a user-friendly manner.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,007,006 35 30 A1 describes a tarpaulin structure for anunderstructure, with a folding-top frame and with a tarpaulin made ofweather-resistant material, wherein the folding-top frame includes aplurality of struts; at the end, each of the struts has a carriage thatis movable along a guide. Here, on both sides of the strut, a bow ispivotally connected in each case to the strut close to the carriage,wherein the bow forms a tarpaulin folding aid along with a bow of anadjacent strut. Here, the adjacent bows are in each case connectednon-rotatably to a cantilever in the area of the bow sections facingaway from the carriage, in such a manner that the mutually facingcantilevers of the mutually facing bows are connected in a single jointformed by a cylindrical pin extending substantially over the width ofthe folding-top frame, in such a manner that, when the folding-top frameis closed, the pin protrudes above the upper area of the struts and thuslifts the tarpaulin and prevents it from sinking down into the areasbetween the mutually facing bows. One disadvantage here is that thetarpaulin can then not be arranged without play in the area of thecarriage, since the tarpaulin must also reproduce the lifting movementof the lifting hoops. Another disadvantage is that the rigid cantileversare not capable of compensating for length differences of thefolding-top frame, but instead can only be used in precisely definedsizes due their angular position with respect to the bow supportingthem.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,855 B2 describes a tarpaulin structure for asemi-trailer, wherein a folding-top frame carries a tarpaulin made ofweather-resistant material, wherein the folding-top frame includes aplurality of U-shaped struts; at the end, each of the struts has acarriage that is movable along a guide. Here, in each case, bows arearticulated on both sides of the struts, on the one hand, in the area ofthe carriage, and, on the other hand at about half-height of the strut,wherein the upper bows can be pretensioned by a spring arrangement in anactuation direction, while the lower bows in the area of the side wallare connected to one another by a coupling rod which supports a U-shapedlifting strut extending over the width of the folding-top frame. Thistarpaulin structure too allows only certain sizes, implemented as amultiple of the distance separating the struts, since the interconnectedstruts cannot be dimensioned flexibly.

EP 0 955 196 A1 describes a tarpaulin structure for a railway car, inwhich a tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material is supported by afolding-top frame, wherein the folding-top frame includes a plurality ofU-shaped struts; at the end, each of the struts has a carriage that ismovable along a guide provided in the area of the loading surface. Tothe struts, on both sides, a connecting rod is connected in each case,wherein the mutually facing connecting rods of the adjacent struts areconnected to one another and to a cylindrical, vertically oriented guidesleeve, in which a U-shaped lifting strut is vertically movablyaccommodated, which, when the adjacent struts are moved together, arelifted upward by the pivoting of the connection rods. A disadvantage ofthe tarpaulin structure is that the struts have to be arranged veryclose to one another, so that an overall very large-size folding-topframe of relatively heavy weight and with very small clear openingresults therefrom.

DE 10 2013 201 006 A1 describes a tarpaulin structure designed in theform of a sliding roof for a truck, in which a substantially flattarpaulin made of weather-resistant material is connected to afolding-top frame, in order to enable the opening and closing of theroof. The folding-top frame includes a plurality of struts designed aselongate hoops, which in each case can lift lifting elements arranged ineach case between the adjacent carriages and are designed in the form ofa connecting rod. The carriages are movable along a roof rail whichforms a guide, wherein a portal beam is pivotally connected to thefrontmost pair of carriages, wherein the tarpaulin is also connected tothe portal beam. The portal beam extending transversely to the openingdirection is connected on both sides via a kinematic linkage designed asa four-joint kinematics to the frontmost carriage, wherein the frontmostcarriage in addition includes two struts spanning over the roof openingand designed as hoops, wherein the connecting rods of the four-pivotjoint rest at least partially in a recess of the frontmost carriagearranged substantially beneath, but at least at the height of the guide,when the portal beam is lowered. The tarpaulin structure includes alocking arrangement with a first locking member guided in a frontmostcarriage and with a second locking member guided in the oppositefrontmost carriage, locking members which are in each case tensioned bya spring in locking direction and as a result of actuation aresimultaneously axially movable in their respective unlocking direction.For this purpose, each bolt is connected to a rope associated with itwith an actuation device on the opposite side, wherein the two ropes lienext to one another in the area between two struts, without being guidedon the struts. The two ropes are coupled to one another in the center ofthe tarpaulin structure, and thereby a one-sided actuation of the twolocking members is actuated. However, a disadvantage here is that thetransported goods can catch on the ropes, and an unintended opening ofthe roof can occur.

FR 2 653 478 A1 describes a tarpaulin structure for a semi-trailer,wherein a folding-top frame is arranged in the roof area, to whichfolding-top frame a tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material isconnected, enabling an opening and closing of the roof. The folding-topframe includes a plurality of struts designed as elongate hoops; at theend, each of the struts has a carriage that is movable along a guideformed by a pair of longitudinal supports. Between the adjacent struts,a lifting hoop is arranged in each case, which is non-rotatably coupledto an elongate connecting rod articulated to a carriage, resulting in atarpaulin folding aid which results due to the pivoting movement of theelongate connecting rod forming a bow which can be pivoted around thecarriage along with the lifting hoop, wherein the bow is connected bymeans of a toggle link made of two connecting rod parts to the adjacentcarriage. The known sliding roof moreover includes an end-side coveringbow which is designed similarly to the lifting hoop and is pivotallyconnected to the frontmost pair of carriages. In the side area of thecovering bow, a plate-shaped locking catch is arranged, which, duringthe downward pivoting, in the area of the openable end of thelongitudinal support, works together with a pin connected to thelongitudinal support, so as to lock the folding-top frame. Here, in theclosed state of the plate of the tarpaulin structure, the plate bodyrests partially on a horizontal portion of the carriage, while apretensioning means pretensions the covering bow in the openingdirection. In the completely closed state, the direction of action ofthe spring with respect to its articulation on the covering bow is suchthat a top dead center locking occurs, which has to be overcome bypushing the covering bow vertically upward. The folding-top frame can beactuated by a crank. A disadvantage is in particular the set-upkinematic by the pivotable lifting hoop.

DE 10 2012 006 385 A1 describes a tarpaulin structure for a commercialvehicle, in which the tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material isconnected to a folding-top frame forming a sliding roof, wherein thefolding-top frame includes a plurality of struts extending in the roofplane and designed as elongate hoops; at the end, each of the struts hasa carriage that is movable along a guide formed by a longitudinalsupport. On the frontmost (in driving direction rearmost) strut, aportal beam which is also movable along the guide is connected, wherein,in the area of one of the two carriages of the frontmost strut, alocking arrangement is provided, which locks the carriage with respectto the guide formed by the longitudinal support, wherein the lockingarrangement can be unlocked by unilateral pulling on a loop. The lockingarrangement is provided on only one side of the frontmost strut andcannot readily lock the folding-top frame to the two elongate supports.The locking arrangement includes a first locking member and a secondlocking member, which are arranged on the same longitudinal side of thetarpaulin structure and which are simultaneously movable in an unlockingdirection by actuation of the pulling loop. A disadvantage of thetarpaulin structure is in particular the fact that a common unlocking ofin each case one locking arrangement on both sides of the tarpaulinstructure by actuation from outside cannot be done by an operatingperson.

WO 2007 056 989 A2 describes a tarpaulin structure with a folding-topframe which is provided for supporting a tarpaulin, in which thefolding-top frame includes a plurality of struts designed as elongatehoops, which are movable via carriages along a guide designed aslongitudinal support in the roof area, wherein, to the frontmostcarriage, a locking member with a sliding guide is pivotally connected,which works together with a second locking member connected to thelongitudinal support in such a manner that the locking is released whenthe tarpaulin is pulled in closing direction.

EP 0 778 169 B1 describes a tarpaulin structure for the roof area of atruck, in which a folding-top frame supports a tarpaulin made ofweather-resistant material, wherein the folding-top frame includes aplurality of struts designed as elongate hoops; at the end each of thestruts has a carriage that is movable along a guide formed by twolongitudinal supports. The adjacent hoops are coupled by articulation tosaid connected pairs of folding plates, wherein each of the two foldingplates is connected by articulation by means of a continuous hoop. Onthe frontmost strut, a covering bow implemented as a portal beam isconnected, which is subjected to the action of a cylinder in a movementdirection, wherein, in the area of the arm of the covering bow, a hookis provided on both sides, which is pivoted by a pin with an end facingaway from the hook, the hook portion of which engages with an additionalpin for a positive-connecting engagement. On the portal beam of thecovering bow, an additional pin is provided, which is gripped by apivotable hook pivotally connected to the longitudinal support, in orderto secure the portal beam from being lifted. If the folding-top frame isto be opened, it is necessary to first enter the inner space, and thepivotable hook has to be pivoted free, before the covering bow can belifted. An unlocking from outside of the folding-top frame, which wouldavoid entry into the tarpaulin structure, is not possible. Furthermore,the connection of the covering bow to the guide occurs directly in eachcase, so that a setting up of the covering bow by moving the frontmostcarriage along the guide is not possible.

DE 10 2012 216 151 A1 describes a tarpaulin structure for a dump truck,in which a tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material over afolding-top frame of the tipping trough can be opened for clearing anopening and closed again. The folding-top frame includes a plurality ofU-shaped struts, each of the struts being connected at the end to aguide element, wherein the guide elements are coupled to a drivableactuation rope. A covering bow which in the closed state of thetarpaulin structure rests substantially flat on the tipping trough isrotatable around a folding axis, wherein a pin arranged on theunderstructure pivots an extension of the covering bow from a set-upposition into a lowered position and vice versa. During the lowering ofthe covering bow, a spring which loads the covering bow in openingdirection is tensioned, so that the extension rests on the pin. If thefolding-top frame is moved in opening direction, the spring causes thecovering bow to pivot upward without the assistance of an operatingperson. It is the object of the invention is to indicate a tarpaulinstructure having a low own weight that enables a reliable covering of anunderstructure.

This object is achieved according to the invention with the features ofan independent claim.

According to an aspect of the invention, a tarpaulin structure for anunderstructure, such as a truck, trailer, semi-trailer, railway car,dump truck or container, is created, comprising a folding-top frame anda tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material, wherein the folding-topframe has a plurality of struts which have, on the ends, in each case acarriage which is displaceable along a guide. Here, at least one bow ispivotally connected either to a pair of opposite carriages of the strutor to the strut, wherein the bow forms a tarpaulin folding aid alongwith a bow of an adjacent strut or of a pair of opposite carriages or ofa stationary part of the folding-top frame, by means of which thetarpaulin can be folded when the folding-top frame is shifted together.The tarpaulin structure is distinguishes in that the adjacent bows arecoupled to one another by means of a kinematic connecting rod assemblythat can be folded up when the folding-top frame is moved together.

Advantageously, it is achieved thereby that, when the folding-top frameis open and the understructure is thus uncovered, the tarpaulinstructure has a short total installation height, since the bows can bearranged at a relatively small angle with respect to the struts. Inorder to be able to move together the adjacent bows in a controlledmanner, that is to say the bows turned toward one another, the kinematicconnecting rod assembly assists, in that a force introduced into thefolding-top frame leads to the folding up of the kinematic connectingrod assembly. The resulting lengthening of the active bows does notoccur to the detriment of the installation height of the tarpaulinstructure, instead it achieves a particularly advantageous packingdensity due to the folding up of the kinematic connecting rod assembly.As a result, it is not necessary for the adjacent connecting rods to bein contact with one another in order to move together the folding-topframe, instead, by the targeted folding up of the kinematic connectingrod assembly, a determined behavior of the folding-top frame during themoving together is achieved, so that in particular a tilting of thestruts with respect to the guide is also prevented, and a pulling forceintroduced into the tarpaulin structure on one side is reliablytransmitted from the pair of carriages into which the pulling force isintroduced to the additional pairs of carriages which are connected eachby a strut.

A particular advantage of the tarpaulin structure according to theinvention can be seen in that the tarpaulin structure can be adaptedsubstantially more flexibly to length requirements of theunderstructure. Thus, for the adaptation to the distance betweenadjacent carriages, the provision of a kinematic connecting rod assemblymakes it possible to select the length of the connecting rod or of atleast one connecting rod to be shorter or longer. Alternatively, in thecase of a fixed length of the connecting rod of the kinematic connectingrod assembly, the setting angle of the connecting rods can be setdifferently, in order to achieve a corresponding length compensation.

Preferably, the kinematic connecting rod assembly can be foldeddownward, when the folding-top frame is moved together, so that theshifting movement of the parts of the kinematic connecting rod assemblysubstantially has a vertically downward directed component. Saidmovement is superposed by additional movements due to the pivotarticulation connection of the parts of the kinematic connecting rodassembly. Overall, by the provision of a downward directed folding, thekinematic connecting rod assembly can be connected very high up to themutually facing bows, where said bows already are very close to oneanother, so that the kinematic connecting rod assembly overall takes uponly little space. Furthermore, thereby, a very large area under theconnection to the bows is provided, into which the kinematic connectingrod assembly can give way. The downward movement should not beunderstood in an absolute sense, since, by the pivoting of the bows, thearticulation of the kinematic connecting rod assembly on the bows ismoved upward during the opening of the tarpaulin structure.

Here, the folding up movement of the kinematic connecting rod assemblydoes not necessarily have to occur exclusively downward, instead it issufficient if a downward directed component is included or predominates.Thus, the kinematic connecting rod assembly can also lead to athree-dimensional movement, for example, to a movement in which thetarpaulin is pressed to some extent outward, in order to avoid a jammingof the tarpaulin between the parts of the folding-top frame, inparticular between adjacent bows or between bow and strut.

Advantageously, the kinematic connecting rod assembly includes a togglelink, wherein the bend of the toggle link is provided preferablyapproximately and particularly preferably absolutely centrally, wherein,when the folding-top frame is moved together and the kinematicconnecting rod assembly is thus folded up, the bend is advantageouslymoved downward. The toggle link is a particularly simple kinematicconnecting rod assembly which requires only three articulation pointsand by which a connection of the mutually facing bows can be achieved. Aparticular advantage of the toggle link consists in that, due to thesmall play of the articulation pin in the articulation eye, thefolding-top frame has little tendency to move as a result of influencesof the surroundings during transport. Furthermore, thrust forces can betransmitted to some extent. However, it is also possible that, inaddition to the articulation pin which can be pivoted in an articulationeye, the toggle link also includes an oblong hole-type articulation eye,resulting in a certain axial guidability of the articulation pin in theoblong hole-type articulation eye in the manner of a sliding track. Theforce acting in the movement direction of the folding-top frame thenleads to a movement of the articulation point in the area of the bend,whereby the movement of the bend is achieved with higher reliability.Alternatively, a kinematic connecting rod assembly can also beconsidered, which is designed as a scissor articulation, or a kinematicconnecting rod assembly which is designed as having multiplearticulations, in particular four articulations. Themultiple-articulation kinematic connecting rod assembly, which is likelyto be of asymmetric design, has indeed a higher number of parts, but, onthe other hand, the course of its movement is more predetermined. Akinematic connecting rod assembly containing multiple bends is alsoconsidered.

The connecting rods of the kinematic connecting rod assembly can bedesigned either as rigid lever-like connecting rods or as plastic partsor as wire components, as long as a defined pivoting of the connectingrods with respect to one another and preferably also with respect to thebows to which they are fastened is obtained. Advantageously, one of theconnecting rods is implemented with a step, so that it can pivot pastthe other connecting rod. The step then also forms an abutment for theother connecting rod, which limits the minimum angle between the twoconnecting rods. It is also possible to limit the maximum pivot angle byan abutment, for example on the connecting rods in the area of thecommon articulation.

According to a preferred design, the kinematic connecting rod assemblyincludes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod, whereineach of the first connecting rod and second connecting rod in each caseis connected to one of the two adjacent bows, wherein the firstconnecting rod and the second connecting rod are connected to oneanother via an articulation. The articulation then forms the bend of atoggle link consisting of the first connecting rod and the secondconnecting rod, wherein the first connecting rod and the secondconnecting rod can be folded up via the common articulation and alsoenable a pivoting with respect to the bows via the articulations bymeans of which they are in each case connected to the bows.

To reduce the risk of overturning of the kinematic connecting rodassembly, it is possible, for example, to limit the pivot angle of theconnecting rods on the bow, for example, by an abutment and/or to limitthe pivot angle of the common articulation of first connecting rod andsecond connecting rod, so that an unintentional pivoting outside of theintended pivot area of the toggle link is avoided. If the kinematicconnecting rod assembly is folded up, the weight of the first connectingrod and second connecting rod leads to the common articulation movingsubstantially downward.

The pivot angle of the common articulation can be implemented, forexample, by an elongatable connecting brace, which is connected to thefirst connecting rod and the second connecting rod at a distance fromthe common articulation, and which limits the maximum opening angle ofthe first connecting rod with respect to the second connecting rod. Theconnecting brace is particularly advantageous when the movable part ofthe folding-top frame is moved from the open position into the closedposition, since this prevents the first connecting rod and the secondconnecting rod from extending in a straight line, that is to say fromforming an angle of 180°, which would represent a dead point position inwhich there would be a risk of the bend giving way in the wrongdirection.

When the folding-top frame is closed, the first connecting rod and thesecond connecting rod advantageously enclose an angle between 90° and180°, wherein preferably the enclosed angle is between 120° and 170°,and particularly preferably between 150° and 165°. Since the angle issmaller than 180° and faces downward, the folding up of the kinematicconnecting rod assembly downward is promoted.

The bows are advantageously designed to be U-shaped with a base and twoarms, wherein each of the arms is connected to a carriage or to an armof the strut, wherein the first connecting rod and/or the secondconnecting rod in each case is/are articulated to one of the arms.Thereby, the kinematic connecting rod assembly is prevented from havingto be connected in the area of the base of the bows, which is turnedaway from the articulations of the bows, where, when the understructureis loaded, the kinematic connecting rod assembly could possibly come inconflict with the load. The bows which pivot in the direction of thestrut when the folding-top frame is opened then make room for the foldedkinematic connecting rod assembly or the connecting rods thereof.

Advantageously, the two adjacent bows are arranged spaced apart from oneanother, so that the tarpaulin folding aid formed by the two bowscomprises in addition the at least one kinematic connecting rodassembly. As a rule, on both sides, a kinematic connecting rod assembly,preferably in the form of a toggle link, will be provided, so that aforce acting in opening or closing direction is transmitted evenly froma pair of carriages connected by a strut via the bows and the kinematicconnecting rod assembly to the adjacent pair of carriages connected by astrut, and no tilting occurs. However, it is also possible to arrangemore than two kinematic connecting rod assemblies between two adjacentbows, for example, if the corresponding area of the folding-top frameshould be reinforced thereby.

According to a preferred feature, it is provided that the kinematicconnecting rod assembly is arranged in an area of the bow which liesoutside of a space of the understructure that receives a load. Thus, asa result of the folding up, in particular downward, a collision with theload is avoided.

Alternatively or additionally, it is possible to provide in the area ofthe base of the bows a kinematic connecting rod assembly which connectsthe bases of the two bows to one another. Then, the common articulationgives way outward or inward in a horizontal plane, wherein, in the caseof the provision of two kinematic connecting rod assemblies, only halfthe width of the folding-top frame is available for giving way in thearea of the base. In addition, the space for giving way for forming afold of the tarpaulin between the two adjacent bows is then eliminated,since a kinematic connecting rod assembly is then arranged there. It ispossible to provide different kinematic connecting rod assemblies on abow and on a base.

Particularly preferable is a tarpaulin structure in which all the pairsof adjacent bows are connected to one another by at least one kinematicconnecting rod assembly and preferably by two kinematic connecting rodassemblies which are preferably in a mirror image arrangement withrespect to one another, so that, between adjacent struts and/or bows, nospaces are formed, whereby the connection of the parts of thefolding-top frame occurs exclusively via the tarpaulin. Thereby, aparticularly advantageous and reliable behavior of the folding-top frameduring opening and closing is achieved, and the tarpaulin is moreoverstabilized by the folding-top frame over the entire length of thetarpaulin structure. Alternatively, it is also possible that only onepair of bows or only selected pairs of bows are connected to one anothervia the kinematic connecting rod assembly, while other pairs of bows areeither not connected at all or optionally in direct contact with oneanother, or connected together by a strap, a belt or the like.

According to a preferred development, it is provided that theinclination, that is to say the tendency, of the kinematic connectingrod assembly to fold up can be adjusted by a mechanical holdingarrangement. Such a mechanical holding arrangement can be, for example,an articulation brake of the common articulation, a spring member ordamping element provided between the connecting rods of the kinematicconnecting rod assembly, a tensioning belt or the like engaging with thebows or the connecting rods or the struts, and it makes it possible inparticular that the order in which the adjacent struts move together canbe controlled. Hereby, a similar mechanical holding arrangement can alsobe provided between bows and carriages and/or strut. According to afirst preferred design, it is achieved thereby that the areas of thefolding-top frame lying in the rear in opening direction fold up first,and the front segments fold only toward the end of the opening process.According to an alternative design, the front segments move togetherfirst, and at the end the rear segments together. In particular, therebythe moving together of segments of the tarpaulin structure is preventedfrom occurring substantially randomly, whereby the weights moved and theforces required can therefore vary considerably. Furthermore, themechanical holding arrangement, if it contains an energy storage, canalso provide assistance during the opening or during the closing of thefolding-top frame.

Advantageously, the struts are of U-shaped design, wherein in the closedstate of the tarpaulin structure a base of the U-shaped struts, which isturned away from the carriage, is arranged at approximately the sameheight as the areas of the bows, in particular the base of the bows,which is turned away from the carriage. Thereby, it is achieved that thetarpaulin which is advantageously connected to struts and bows, providesa closure of the closed tarpaulin structure in a substantiallyhorizontal plane. Since the tarpaulin also laterally covers the arms ofthe struts and/or of the bows, the tarpaulin will span over theunderstructure substantially in a rectangular shape. Advantageously, thekinematic connecting rod assembly is arranged slightly under the planeof the base of the bow, so that the kinematic connecting rod assemblycannot interact with the roof area of the tarpaulin. At the same time,the kinematic connecting rod assembly is preferably connected very highup to the bows, in order to provide the largest possible area fordescending downward, in which the parts of the kinematic connecting rodassembly do not come in contact with the guide and/or the carriage,which can lead to unpleasant noises but also to wear.

According to an aspect of the invention a tarpaulin structure for anunderstructure, such as a truck, trailer, semi-trailer, railway car,dump truck or container, is created, comprising a folding-top frame anda tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material, wherein the folding-topframe has a plurality of struts which have, on the ends, in each case acarriage, wherein the carriage is movable along a guide. At least onebow is pivotally connected to either a pair of opposite carriages of thestrut or to the strut, wherein the bow forms a tarpaulin folding aidalong with a bow of an adjacent strut or of a pair of opposite carriagesor of a stationary part of the folding-top frame. It has to beunderstood that the tarpaulin folding aid moreover can contain akinematic connecting rod assembly connecting the adjacent bows asdescribed above. Here, on the frontmost pair of carriages, a coveringbow is pivotally connected, which can cover the front portion of theunderstructure. Here, the frontmost carriage includes a frame sectionwhich is arranged above the guide in a horizontal plane, wherein theframe section forms a support for the covering bow in its pivoted-downstate.

Thereby, it is advantageously achieved that the support for the coveringbow can be moved along the guide without the covering bow lying on theunderstructure and without the covering bow having to form a closurewith said understructure. Thereby, it is avoided in particular that, inthe case of unintended damage to the understructure, the covering bowand understructure can no longer be brought together. The mutuallycoordinated supports and covering bows enable a substantially moresealing closure, so that transported goods are less likely to escape. Atthe same time, it is possible that the covering bow is articulated tothe frame section, which in turn can form a component with the frontmostpair of carriages, so that the covering bow overall can be designed tobe very short. A particular advantage consists in that, even if thecovering bow is pivoted down, the movable part of the tarpaulinstructure can be moved along the guide, or else the covering bow can bepivoted down again even if the folding-top frame is not completelyclosed, so that, when the covering bow is already pivoted down beforethe end position is reached, the movement can be continued.

Advantageously, the covering bow includes a support area arrangedoutside of its articulation to the carriage and which lies horizontallyon the frame section. Thereby it is advantageously possible that thecovering bow is adapted to the course of the tarpaulin to be reinforcedby it, while the support area rests on the support when the covering bowis pivoted down. The support area can be designed to form a single piecewith the covering bow, but preferably it is a brace which is connectedto the covering bow.

The covering bow preferably includes an angular arm, so that thecovering bow has a three-dimensional extent. Thereby, advantageously,the angular arm has a short arm section which is articulated on thefrontmost carriage, and, furthermore, the angular arm includes a longarm section which is angled with respect to the short arm section by anarm angle of more than 90° and less than 145°, and preferably ofapproximately 120°. The support area then connects the short arm sectionand the long arm section in an area turned away from the arm angle, sothat the support area lies approximately in a horizontal plane with thebase of the covering bow. Thereby, the covering bow is designed in aparticularly robust manner and with arms of triangle-like design and itcan pivot around its articulation without twisting and at the same timemaintain the shape of the tarpaulin by means of its angular arms.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, it is provided thatthe covering bow in its open state lies horizontally with the short armsection on the frame section. Thereby, the covering bow has two stablestates maintained in position by the weight of the covering bow, whichare both supported on the frame section, wherein in the pivoted-downstate, the support area, and in the pivoted-up state, the short armsection are each supported on the frame section. Thereby, the frontmostcarriage can be moved along the guide both with covering bow opened andalso with covering bow pivoted down, without the covering bowintroducing a resistance against the movement into the system.

According to an advantageous development, it is provided that thearticulation of the covering bow is arranged in a horizontal plane abovea plane of the articulation of the bows. However, alternatively it isalso possible to provide the articulation of the covering bow in thesame plane or in a lower plane, or, in the design of the articulationconnection of the covering bow to the carriage and/or to the framesection, to provide a connection having multiple articulations, forexample four articulations, by means of which a stable position can beachieved, which does not make it necessary for the covering bow to besupported on the frame section.

Preferably, it is provided that the covering bow is articulated on theframe section, and, furthermore, that in each case at least one supportroller and at least one counter-roller are connected to the framesection. Thereby, it is advantageously achieved that the covering bowcan also be pivoted without connecting rod transmission around itsarticulation.

According to a preferred design, the covering bow protrudes at least tosome extent over the frame section in the opening direction, whereby theguide, along which the frontmost carriage and the frame sections can bemoved, can be designed to be slightly shorter. Thereby, a lockingbetween the covering bow and the frame section closer to thearticulation of the covering bow on the frame section can be provided.

According to a preferred development, it is provided that the coveringbow in the area of its lateral arm is designed in the manner of a trusswhich ensures high rigidity and thereby also additionally reinforces thetwo frontmost carriages with respect to one another. Furthermore, it isadvantageously provided that a lower horizontal brace of the truss or ofthe lateral arm lies at least partially on the frame section, so that inthe case of a movement of the frontmost carriage the covering bow isaccordingly also moved with the frame section.

Advantageously, an actuation rod protrudes from the lateral arm of thecovering bow and includes a bent end section which, together with adeflection element, in a manner of a roller, brings about at least oneof the pivoting up movement and the pivoting down movement of thecovering bow. The actuation rod is designed as an extension of thelateral arm of the covering bow and thus enables a play-free pivoting upof the covering bow without interconnected connecting rod transmissionand without the bearing play associated therewith in the associatedarticulations.

According to an aspect of the invention, a tarpaulin for anunderstructure, such as a truck, trailer, semi-trailer, railway car,dump truck or container, is created, comprising a folding-top frame anda tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material, wherein the folding-topframe has a plurality of struts which have, on the ends, in each case acarriage which is displaceable along a guide. Here, at least one bow ispivotally connected either to a pair of opposite carriages of the strutor to the strut, wherein the bow forms a tarpaulin folding aid alongwith a bow of an adjacent strut or of a pair of opposite carriages or ofa stationary part of the folding-top frame, which can contain akinematic connecting rod assembly as described above but does not haveto, for example, if the tarpaulin folding aid is achieved by bowsconnected to one another. Here, a covering bow is pivotally connected tothe frontmost pair of carriages, wherein an auxiliary bow is articulatedon the frontmost carriage between the covering bow and the strutconnected to the frontmost carriage. Like the strut, the auxiliary bowextends from one frontmost carriage of the pair of frontmost carriagesto the other opposite frontmost carriage. In terms of its angularposition and in its extension, that is to say substantially its height,the auxiliary bow is selected so that it supports the tarpaulin in anarea between the covering bow and the strut. Here, the auxiliary bow isadvantageously arranged so that it does not prevent the pivoting up ofthe covering bow.

According to a particularly preferred design, it is provided that,between the preferably U-shaped auxiliary bow and the covering bow, apretensioning member is arranged, which pretensions the covering bowagainst its closing direction. In particular, the pretensioning membercan have the effect that, when the covering bow is unlocked, saidcovering bow is raised against its closing direction. At the same time,the pretensioning member can have the effect that the auxiliary bow isalso pivoted from its orientation with closed tarpaulin structure into achanged position. The pretensioning member thus assists a pivoting upmovement of the covering bow and at the same time dampens the pivotingdown covering bow to some extent. Alternatively, it is also possible toprovide the pretensioning member between the covering bow and the strutarranged on the frontmost pair of carriages or to incorporate thepretensioning member in the tarpaulin.

It is also possible that, instead of a pretensioning member, aconnection member in the manner of a coupling rod is in each casearticulated between covering bow and auxiliary bow, whereby a kinematicconnecting rod assembly with four articulations would be implemented,which advantageously couples the relative movement of the two parts.Instead of the coupling rod, another kinematic connecting rod assemblycan also be provided.

Advantageously, the pretensioning member is selected from the groupcomprising a tension spring, a pulling strap, an elastic belt, anelastic web or tarpaulin or a combination thereof. It is possible tocombine several of the mentioned possibilities with one another, inparticular the inclination of the tarpaulin to pull together to someextent can be used for this purpose.

According to a preferred development, there is a distance providedbetween an articulation of the auxiliary bow and the strut, such that,when the folding-top frame is partially or completely open, theauxiliary bow can be transferred into a turned over position toward thestrut of the frontmost pair of carriages. Thereby, in the open positionof the auxiliary bow, said auxiliary bow is not held in a metastableposition which has a tendency to drop, but instead the auxiliary bow canbe pivoted past its dead point and thus lean against the strut oragainst an abutment provided for this purpose. At the same time, thepretensioning member between auxiliary bow and covering bow then worksparticularly effectively. The pretensioning member is designed here sothat when the covering bow is pivoted up, the auxiliary bow cannot bepivoted from its turned over position back into its position turnedtoward the covering bow.

Preferably, the articulation of the auxiliary bow is provided on a framesection connected to the front carriage, so that the distance to thestrut of the frontmost pair of carriages is increased and an overturningof the auxiliary bow is facilitated.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that, between the strutand the auxiliary bow, a second pretensioning member is arranged, whichpretensions the auxiliary bow against its closing direction. The secondpretensioning member ensures that the auxiliary bow is pulled in thedirection of its turned over position, wherein the weight of theauxiliary bow and the weight of the covering bow connected by theauxiliary bow connected via the first pretensioning member tension thesecond pretensioning member. Due to this configuration, together withthe friction which prevents a pivoting movement in the articulations ofthe auxiliary bow and of the covering bow and which is preferablyadjustable, for example, by adjustable screwing or inserted plates, itis achieved that the system consisting of auxiliary bow and covering bowalways remains in the position in which it was moved by the axialmovement of the movable parts of the folding-top frame along the guide.Hereby, the covering bow is advantageously prevented from falling by itsown weight onto the understructure or the frame section when shakingoccurs.

Preferably, the second pretensioning member is selected from the groupcomprising a tension spring, a pulling strap, an elastic belt, anelastic web or tarpaulin or a combination thereof. The group alsocomprises additional elastic means which can assume the function of apretensioning member.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that the secondpretensioning member is connected at both ends to the frontmost strutand that a central area of the second pretensioning member is placedaround the auxiliary bow. Thereby, it is ensured that the secondpretensioning member is not fully untensioned even when the auxiliarybow leans against the frontmost strut, so that a residual tensionremains. In this case, the pretensioning member is designed, forexample, as an elastic belt which already has sufficient tension betweenits two ends to prevent relaxing when the auxiliary bow is pulled up.

In contrast thereto, when the covering bow is also in a turned overposition leaning against the auxiliary bow and against the strut, thefirst pretensioning member is largely untensioned, so that, when theauxiliary bow is pivoted up, the second pretensioning member istensioned more strongly than the first pretensioning member.

Preferably, the pretensioning members at least partially, preferablymostly, compensate for the torque generated by the weight of thecovering bow, so that less force needs to be applied for the movement ofthe covering bow. Accordingly, the actuation rod connected to thelateral arm of the covering bow can be designed to be short, in any caseshorter than the length of the lateral arm of the covering bow, withoutthe load resulting from the transmission ratio and the difference inweight inhibiting the pulling up of the movable parts of the folding-topframe.

According to an aspect of the invention, a tarpaulin structure for anunderstructure, such as a truck, trailer, semi-trailer, railway car,dump truck or container, is created, comprising a folding-top frame anda tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material, wherein the folding-topframe has a plurality of struts which have, on the ends, in each case acarriage that is displaceable along a guide. Here, at least one bow ispivotally connected either to the pair of opposite carriages of thestrut or to the strut itself, wherein the bow forms a part of atarpaulin folding aid together with a pivotable bow of an adjacent strutor of a pair of opposite carriages or of a stationary part of thefolding-top frame, wherein the tarpaulin folding aid can but does nothave to contain a kinematic connecting rod assembly connecting the bowsto one another. A covering bow is pivotally connected to the frontmostpair of carriages, wherein the covering bow comprises an extension whichcan be pivoted together with the covering bow around its articulation.Here it is provided moreover that the extension can be pivoted via aconnecting rod transmission for the pivoting of the covering bow intoone of its two end positions, that is to say a pivoted-down position ora pivoted-up position. Thereby, the covering bow can be pivotedcompletely from an end position into the other end position, wherein theconnecting rod transmission can convert the relative movement of thefolding-top frame along the guide into a pivoting movement of thecovering bow. This simplifies the actuation of the folding-top frame,and, as a result, the covering bow can be designed simply, since onlythe frontmost carriage has to be moved along the guide. The axialshifting movement of the carriage is advantageously converted by theconnecting rod transmission into a pivoting movement of the coveringbow, so that it is simple to operate the folding-top frame from thesupport plane of the understructure. At the same time, the pivoting upmovement of the covering bow is kinematically connected with the openingmovement of the tarpaulin structure, and accordingly the pivoting upmovement of the covering bow is kinematically connected with the closingmovement of the tarpaulin structure, so that the tarpaulin structure canbe operated easily by a user.

The arrangement of the covering bow on the frame section makes itpossible to dispense with providing the covering bow itself with rollersthat can be moved along the guide, so that malfunctioning cannot occurhere when the covering bow has been deformed to some extent from outsideby the operating person, by the load or due to damage. In addition, thecovering bow is uncoupled from the guide and from the understructure andcan be locked directly to the carriage or to a frame section of thecarriage.

Advantageously, the connecting rod transmission comprises an actuationrod and an intermediate connecting rod which are coupled to one anotherand which contribute to the pivoting of the covering bow. It is possibleto integrate additional connecting rods and levers in the connecting rodtransmission, for example, when an articulation is replaced by anassembly having multiple articulations.

Advantageously, at least one of the articulations of the connecting rodtransmission is additionally guided in an oblong hole-type slidingtrack, so that a deflection of the parts of the connecting rodtransmission in lateral direction is prevented. For this purpose, thearticulation area is designed in the manner of a support roller withlateral flanges that are braced against lateral drift in the slidingtrack which is preferably in the shape of an arc of a circle.

The intermediate connecting rod is here coupled in each case byarticulation to the extension and to the actuation rod, so that apivoting movement of the actuation rod results in a pivoting movement ofthe intermediate connecting rod, which in turn drives the covering bowvia the extension.

Preferably, a articulation of the actuation rod is located in front ofthe articulation of the covering bow, i.e., farther from the strut ofthe frontmost carriage than the articulation of the covering bow.Thereby, an advantageous lever arm of the actuation rod can be achieved.In particular, in this way, a relatively small force in the case of arelatively long path for the pivoting of the actuation rod is achieved,so that the force required for the pivoting of the covering connectingrod is not likely to block the movement of the folding-top frame.

Advantageously, the actuation rod has a bent end section which, with adeflection member such as, for example, a roller, arranged on the guideor the understructure, brings about at least one of the pivoting upmovement and the pivoting down movement of the covering bow. Here, afirst roller can bring about the pivoting up movement of the coveringbow, while a second roller, which works together with the shiftedactuation rod, brings about the pivoting down movement of the coveringbow. For this purpose, when the covering bow is open, the actuation rodis arranged approximately in the plane of a frame section extending thefrontmost carriage, so that the end of the actuation rod which thenfaces forward can come in contact with the deflecting member. The convexside of the bent end section in the process preferably moves in thepivoting down direction, while the concave side of the bent end sectionmoves in the pivoting up direction when the corresponding side engageswith the deflection member.

Here, advantageously, the connecting rod transmission allows a partialpivoting up of the covering bow when the understructure is tipped, sothat the understructure can be designed as a tipping trough from whichthe contained load can be discharged through a trough flap which can bepivoted up. However, at the same time the connecting rod transmissioncan limit the maximum angle that the covering bow can pivot away fromthe understructure, so that an angle of only approximately 30°, but notmore, between understructure and covering bow is possible. However, forthis purpose, a separate hook is preferably provided, which is arrangedoutside of the connecting rod transmission; on the other hand, thelocking can also occur on mutually pivotable parts of the connecting rodtransmission.

According to an advantageous design, it is provided that the coveringbow includes in each case an extension on the two longitudinal sides ofthe folding-top frame or its articulation, said extension beingpivotable together with the covering bow around its articulation, andthat each of the extensions can be pivoted in each case via its ownconnecting rod transmission for the pivoting of the covering bow intoone of its end positions. The two connecting rod transmissions are thenadvantageously in a mirror image arrangement with respect to a planewhich bisects the tarpaulin structure longitudinally. Thereby it isadvantageously achieved that the pivoting up movement of the coveringbow occurs approximately evenly from the two arms articulated to thecarriage, resulting in a symmetric loading of the covering bow and aneven folding of the tarpaulin.

According to a preferred embodiment, it is provided that the connectingrod transmission is controlled on one side of the folding-top frame forthe pivoting up of the covering bow and that the opposite connecting rodtransmission is controlled on the other side of the folding-top framefor the pivoting down of the covering bow. Thereby, it is advantageouslyachieved that the connecting rods of the connecting rod transmission canrun over a large pivoting angle without colliding in the process withthe additional deflection member, since on each of the two sides in eachcase only one deflection member is provided for the deflection on one oron the other side. Advantageously, the deflection members are herespaced apart in longitudinal direction of the guide by a distance whichis greater than the length of the actuation rod, so that a simultaneousengagement of the actuation rod with the two deflection members isprevented.

Advantageously, the guide moreover includes an abutment for the maximummovement forward of the frontmost carriage, that is to say in closingdirection, whereby the carriage is prevented from moving past the end ofthe guide or past the position intended for it when the tarpaulinstructure is closed.

The articulation of the covering bow very far forward advantageouslymakes it possible for the covering bow to have a very short distancebetween articulation and its base connected to the articulation viaarms, so that the height necessary for pivoting the covering bow can besmall.

According to an aspect of the invention, a tarpaulin structure for anunderstructure, such as a truck, trailer, semi-trailer, railway car,dump truck or container, is created, comprising a folding-top frame anda tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material, wherein the folding-topframe has a plurality of struts which have, on the ends, in each case acarriage that is movable along a guide, wherein at least one coveringbow is pivotally connected to the frontmost pair of carriages. Here, thecovering bow can be locked to the frontmost carriage via a pivotablehook. By means of the locking of the covering bow to the frontmostcarriage, in particular to a frame section protruding from the frontmostcarriage, which can be moved only in the longitudinal direction of theguide, a possibility of fastening the tarpaulin to the understructure isadvantageously created, without at the same time having to lock thecovering bow to the understructure. Thus, an advantageous uncoupling ofthe locking, on the one hand, of the carriage to the guide and thus tothe understructure, and, on the other hand, of the covering bow to thecarriage occurs.

The hook can selectively be pivotally connected via at least onearticulation to the covering bow, or else the hook can be connected viaat least one articulation to the frontmost carriage. In both cases, thehook then advantageously engages with a counter-bearing which isarranged on the respective other part, so that a positive locking of thetwo mentioned parts occurs. A particular advantage of the provision of ahook consists in that, when the understructure is pivoted, for example,in the case of a dump truck that has to be emptied, the hook can releasethe lock, whereby the covering bow can pivot upward to some extent. Thisis advantageous, since the articulation of a trough flap which isarticulated in the upper area of the trough at the rear end, requires afree space for its pivoting, space which is covered by the covering bowin the closed state of the tarpaulin structure. As a result of thepivoting down of the covering bow, when the trough is tipped, the freespace necessary for the movement of the trough flap is thereby cleared,in that the hook pivots out of engagement with the counter-bearing,without a part of the folding-top frame having to be axially shiftedalong the guide for this purpose. If the trough is again moved into thehorizontal position, the hook again pivots into engagement with thecounter-bearing, so that the hook pivots due to its own weight back intoa locked position.

Advantageously, the hook has an abutment surface which makes it possiblefor the hook to be knocked free out of its locked position, so that thehook then too disengages the covering bow and frontmost carriage whenthe movable parts of the tarpaulin structure are moved for the openingof the tarpaulin structure. The abutment surface then advantageouslystrikes an abutment member provided on the understructure or on theguide or close to the guide, whereby the hook is pivoted around its atleast one pivot axis and thus releases the covering bow from thefrontmost carriage. For this purpose, the abutment member is positionedso that, when the tarpaulin structure is opened, the abutment surfacecan be moved against the abutment member. The abutment surface and thehook then slide during the opening over the abutment member and enablethe covering bow, during the opening of the movable parts of thetarpaulin structure, to be pivoted from its pivoted-down position into apivoted-up position. Advantageously, the axis of the at least onearticulation of the hook is arranged parallel to the pivot axis of thecovering bow, so that the parts can advantageously be coordinatedfunctionally with one another.

Advantageously, the hook has a guide surface which enables a lifting ofthe hook from its lowered position, wherein the guide surface workstogether with the abutment member so that, when the tarpaulin structureis closed, due to the movement of the movable parts of the tarpaulinstructure along the guide, the hook can run over the abutment member.Thereby, it is advantageously ensured that hook and abutment member donot block one another during the closing of the tarpaulin structure, anda particular intervention for the release is not necessary. During theclosing of the tarpaulin structure as well, the hook pivots around itsarticulated linkage, wherein the pivot direction is preferably oppositefrom the direction in which the hook is pivoted when it is knocked freeout of its locked position.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that the hook ispivotally connected to the frontmost carriage or to a frame sectionforming a single component with the frontmost carriage, said framesection being arranged above the guide in a horizontal plane, wherein itis possible to consider using a pivoting around a single articulation aswell as around an arrangement with multiple articulations. Here, thecenter of gravity of the hook is preferably provided below itsarticulation, so that, when the understructure is pivoted, the center ofgravity is made to perform a pivoting movement which pivots away fromthe counter-bearing and thus out of engagement. The hook itself or theengagement protrusions assuming the hook function is/are then arrangedon the side opposite from the center of gravity with respect to thearticulation.

According to an alternative design, it is provided that the hook isarticulated to the covering bow and can be locked to the frame sectionwhich extends the frontmost carriage and is designed so as to form asingle component with the frontmost carriage preferably above the guidein a horizontal plane. In this case, the center of gravity is preferablylocated on the side of the hook itself or of the engagement projectionwhich engages with the counter-bearing, so that a pivoting is achievedwhen the understructure is tipped.

Preferably, the hook can be locked to a frame section which is arrangedabove the guide in a horizontal plane on the frontmost carriage.Moreover, it is advantageously provided that the hook can be pivotedinto an unlocked position by pivoting the tarpaulin structure and/or theunderstructure. Furthermore, according to a preferred design, the hookhas its center of gravity under its articulation on the covering bow oron the frontmost carriage or the frame section.

In an advantageous development, it is provided that the hook ispivotally connected to one of covering bow and foremost carriage via atleast one articulation, wherein, in a further improvement, it isprovided that, on the other one of cover bow and frontmost carriage, acounter-bearing designed in particular as a bolt section is arranged.Here, due to the hook and the counter-bearing which togetheradvantageously form a positive-locking connection, the pivoted-downcovering bow and the frontmost carriage are locked to one another.Advantageously, the counter-bearing designed as bolt section is arrangedon an end of the frontmost carriage, so that the hook can be arranged inthe same vertical plane on the covering bow. In order to grip the boltsection from behind, a recess is advantageously provided between thebolt section and the rest of the carriage.

A particularly preferred design results when the hook has severalengagement projections, since in that case each of the engagementprojections of the hook enables a locking to the counter-bearing.Thereby, a tolerance can be compensated when the covering bow is pivoteddown, in that, in that case, several engagement projections arrangedunder each other can engage with the counter-bearing, and, accordingly alocking is achieved even when due to the load or mechanical deformationsof the interacting parts, the parts can no longer be moved togethercompletely.

Advantageously, the hook also has a guide section which ensures thatwhen, due to its weight, the hook strikes the counter-bearing with anexternal side turned away from the engagement projection, the hook ispivoted past the counter-bearing in such a manner that thecounter-bearing can subsequently engage with one of the engagementprojections.

Preferably, the hook is kinematically coupled to a trough flap or toanother movable part of the understructure, for example, via a tensionrope which can also be deflected, a connecting rod or also a drive.Thereby, it is ensured that the pivoting movement of the movable part ofthe understructure is transmitted to the hook and accordingly the hookis disengaged.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that the front pair ofcarriages is connected together by a strut and by the covering bow, sothat the mentioned parts form a portal which can be moved substantiallywithout tilting along the guide. Thereby, the frontmost carriage can beused for the introduction of the shifting movement which is thentransmitted to the additional carriages.

Advantageously, the covering bow is connected to the tarpaulin, so thatthe pivoting down movement of the covering bow entirely tensions thetarpaulin which is connected to the additional struts and bows and thusensures that the carriages are arranged with the struts in the positionintended for them. For this purpose, the tarpaulin is also connected toall the struts and if possible also to all the bows, wherein, in thearea of the carriages or the connection to the struts and the bows, thetarpaulin is preferably reinforced in order to prevent damaging thetarpaulin. The belts connected to the tarpaulin prevent in particulardamage to the tarpaulin due to the forces introduced by the connectionof the carriages, bows and/or struts.

According to a preferred design it is provided that the tarpaulin guidedover the covering bow includes a lateral hem in which a tension meanswith at least tensile rigidity and whose length can be adjusted, suchas, for example, a wire, is guided, wherein the adjustment of the wireis possible via a screw threading or the like. This makes it possiblethat the wire is guided in the hem under a certain tension. When thecovering bow is pivoted down, the wire is arranged under the horizontalplane of the articulation of the covering bow and thus holds thecovering bow to some extent in position, since the wire first has to bestretched out during the pivoting up in order to overcome the dead pointdefined by the articulation axis of the covering bow. It is only whenthe wire has been guided over the articulation axis of the covering bowthat the wire is untensioned again and can become somewhat shorter.

According to a preferred development, it is provided that thearticulation of the covering bow to the frontmost carriage occurs moretoward the front than where each of support rollers supporting thefrontmost carriage is arranged. To that extent, the carriage is extendedbeyond the supporting rollers adjoining the guide, so that the lever armof the covering bow is advantageously shortened.

In a more advantageous design, it is provided that in its opened statethe covering bow is arranged entirely in front of the strut of thefrontmost pair of carriages. As a result of this given minimumseparation in each pivot position of the covering bow, an unfavorabletipping torque onto the support rollers which work together with a guideis advantageously prevented. Furthermore, it is ensured that theadditional functions provided on the strut, such as the locking to theunderstructure and/or to the guide, and the pivoting movement of thecovering bow are uncoupled.

According to an aspect of the invention, a tarpaulin structure for anunderstructure, such as a truck, trailer, semi-trailer, railway car,dump truck or container, is created, comprising a folding-top frame anda tarpaulin made of weather-resistant material, wherein the folding-topframe has a plurality of struts which have, on the ends, a carriage thatis displaceable along a guide. Here, the tarpaulin structuredistinguishes in that one of the struts includes a locking arrangementwhich can be unlocked on one side, which advantageously makes itpossible to fasten the strut with the carriages connected thereto to theguide and/or the understructure and thus ensure a reliable stopping ofthe tarpaulin structure or of the movable parts of the tarpaulinstructure.

The locking arrangement here comprises a first locking member and asecond locking member, which are arranged on different longitudinalsides of the tarpaulin structure, so that the first locking member onone longitudinal side ensures a locking to the guide and/or theunderstructure, while the second locking member on the otherlongitudinal side of the tarpaulin structure brings about a locking tothe understructure and/or the guide. Due to the locking on the two sidesof the tarpaulin structure, a high degree of reliability of the lockingis advantageously achieved. Nevertheless, the locking arrangement can beunlocked on one side without having to enter for that purpose the innerarea of the understructure covered by the tarpaulin structure. Here, itis moreover provided that the first locking member can be moved for theunlocking in a first unlocking direction, and at the same time thesecond locking member can be moved with the unlocking movement of thefirst locking member in a second unlocking direction, wherein the firstlocking member and the second locking member together can be unlocked bypulling on the first locking member from outside the folding-top frameor the tarpaulin structure. Thus, it is not necessary to unlock the twolocking members separately; instead, the strut which is advantageouslyof hollow design is used for connecting the two locking members to oneanother so that the movement of one locking member is transmitted to amovement of the other locking member, wherein the connection isprotected so that it cannot interfere with the loaded goods.

The first unlocking direction is advantageously oriented opposite fromthe second unlocking direction, so that, when the first unlockingdirection points downward, the second unlocking direction points upward,etc. Advantageously, this is achieved in that the first locking memberis connected via a force transmission member which has at least tensilerigidity, such as a rope, a chain, a wire, a Bowden cable or the like,to the second locking member, wherein advantageously the forcetransmission member with tensile rigidity is guided in the strutconnected to the frontmost pair of carriages. Thereby, it is possible toarrange the force transmission member between the two longitudinal sidesof the tarpaulin structure, without the loading of the understructure orthe load contained in the understructure being able to interfere withthe force transmission member. Thereby, it is moreover ensuredadvantageously that a pulling movement on the first locking member isreliably transmitted to the second locking member. Here, the strut ispreferably designed as a U-shaped strut with two vertical arms and/or ahorizontal base connecting these struts, so that, by means of thelocking members arranged on the strut or in the extension of the struton the carriage, the opposite unlocking directions can be easilyachieved. Alternatively, the strut can also be designed as a hoopconnecting the two carriages in a common plane or can have any otherconfiguration.

Here it should be noted that the locking arrangement is not limited tothe upper openings of the understructure, but that instead a lateralopening of an understructure, for example, a lateral loading opening ofa so-called curtainsider, can be locked by the locking arrangement. Thestrut or its base or the hoop then does not run in a horizontal plane,but rather runs in a vertical plane. In such a case, it is possible, forexample, that the first unlocking direction and the second unlockingdirection are the same unlocking directions.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that a springarrangement which loads the first locking member against the firstunlocking direction is associated with the first locking member, andthat a second spring arrangement which loads the second locking memberagainst the second locking direction is associated with the secondlocking member. Thereby, it is ensured that, for the case in which thespring member of a spring arrangement breaks, at least one of the twolocking members is pretensioned in the locking direction and thusreliably locks the frontmost carriage to the guide and/or to theunderstructure. Alternatively, it is possible to implement thepretensioning of the two locking members by a single and thus commonspring arrangement whose force is transmitted via the force transmissionmember to the other locking member.

According to an advantageous design, the first unlocking direction isdirected vertically downward and the second unlocking direction isdirected vertically upward, so that when the first locking member ispulled downward, the second locking member is pulled upward. Here, thespring arrangement loads the locking members in each case against therespective unlocking direction, so that the spring arrangement has to betensioned in each case during the unlocking.

Advantageously, on each of the frontmost carriages or alternatively onthe arms of the strut, a longitudinal guide is provided for each lockingmember, which ensures that the locking member can be moved only in thedirection of the longitudinal guide. The longitudinal guide is hereadvantageously oriented in the respective unlocking direction and thusalso ensures that, in the case of a pulling force acting on the lockingmember with a component in the unlocking direction, the locking memberis first unlocked, and it is only subsequently that the carriage ismoved along the guide.

Advantageously, the first spring arrangement or the second springarrangement respectively is arranged in the area of the longitudinalguide for the first locking member and/or the second locking member, sothat the spring arrangement can be supported on the longitudinal guideand/or on the part, carriage or strut, that includes the longitudinalguide. The respective other end of the spring arrangement is thensupported, for example, against the respective spring member.

Preferably, the spring arrangement is designed as a compression springor as a tension spring which loads the locking member against therespective unlocking direction. The design as a compression spring whichcan be easily placed on the locking member is particularly advantageous.If one does not want to increase the multiplicity of parts excessively,it is also possible to provide that one locking member is loaded by acompression spring, while the other locking member is loaded by atension spring, whereby the same installation spaces can be used.

According to a particularly advantageous design, it is provided that thelocking member in each case includes a guide section which can bestopped at a first height level in a locking catch and released byvertical movement from the locking catch. The guide section of thelocking member is intended to come in contact with a locking sectionwhich moves the locking member and sets the height of the locking memberand the guide section in the manner of a ramp or a wedge. Thereby, thelocking member can be moved in another way besides by external actuationin the unlocking direction.

According to a preferred development, it is provided that the lockingcatches have a preferably central stop position, wherein, on one side oron both sides of the stop position, an entry slope is provided in eachcase, wherein the entry slope works together with the guide section inorder to move the locking member into the stop position during theclosing of the tarpaulin structure. For this purpose, the guide memberis moved with its guide section along the entry slope, wherein the entryslope leads an axial movement of the locking member in the unlockingdirection. If the entry slope is run over, the spring arrangement bringsabout the entry into the central stop position in which the movableparts of the tarpaulin structure are locked to the understructure and/orto the guide.

Advantageously, the locking catch encloses the locking member so that itprevents the movable parts of the folding-top frame from moving alongthe guide and/or the understructure, so that the locking member iscaught in the locking catch.

The entry slope of the first locking catch descends advantageouslytoward the stop position of the first locking member, while the entryslope of the second locking catch ascends toward the stop position ofthe second locking member. Thus, the entry slopes are arranged orslanted so that they load the respective spring arrangement which isunloaded again when the locking member enters the stop position.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that at least one of thetwo locking members includes a bent section, wherein the guide sectionis arranged on the end of the bent section. Therefore, it isadvantageously possible to orient this locking member like the otherlocking member, wherein the guide section on the end of the bent sectionworks together with the entry slope.

Preferably, a pulling strap engages with the first locking member andprotrudes between tarpaulin and folding-top frame over an external areaof the tarpaulin structure, wherein the pulling strap can be gripped forthe unlocking of the locking arrangement and for the movement of themovable parts of the folding-top frame along the guide. If the pullingstrap is pulled by an operating person, in particular pulled downward,the first locking member is moved against the locking direction until itis moved out of the stop position and allows a movement of theassociated carriage and/or strut along the guide. For this purpose, thepulling strap can be gripped for the unlocking of the lockingarrangement and for the movement of the movable parts of the folding-topframe along the guide, so that not only the pulling of the carriages inthe direction of the guide is brought about by the pulling strap, butalso the unlocking of the carriage from the guide.

Advantageously, a locking catch is provided in each case not only in theclosed position of the tarpaulin structure, but also in the openposition of the tarpaulin structure. Thereby, it is ensured that, due tothe weight and the pretensioning as a result of the properties of thetarpaulin, the movable parts of the tarpaulin structure are not movedagain in the direction of the closed position, and thus the access tothe understructure is reduced. The spring arrangement here ensures thatthe locking members engage in the stop position.

According to an aspect of the invention, a tarpaulin structure for anunderstructure, such as a truck, a trailer, a semi-trailer, railway car,dump truck or container, is created, comprising a folding-top frame anda tarpaulin made of weather resistant material, wherein the folding-topframe includes a plurality of struts; on the inside, each of the strutshas a carriage that is movable along a guide. Here it is provided thatone of the struts includes a locking arrangement which can be unlockedby a one-sided actuation, wherein the locking arrangement comprises afirst locking member and a second locking member, which are arranged ondifferent longitudinal sides of the tarpaulin structure. The firstlocking member can here be moved for the unlocking in a first unlockingdirection; the second locking member can also be moved for the unlockingin the first unlocking direction, so that the unlocking direction forthe first and the second locking member is the same. As a result, akinematics is created, by means of which the two locking members can beactuated from one side in the same direction in order to be unlocked.For this purpose, it is possible to provide an actuation on the twolongitudinal sides of the understructure; however, advantageously, anactuation is provided on only one longitudinal side.

Advantageously, a first spring arrangement is associated with the firstlocking member and loads the first locking member against the firstunlocking direction, so that, without exposure to force from outside,the first locking member is inserted against the unlocking direction. Atthe same time, the first spring arrangement can also load the secondlocking member, although it is preferably provided that a second springarrangement is associated with the second locking member and loads thesecond locking member against the first unlocking direction. Hereby, atotal of two spring arrangements, namely a first and a second springarrangement, are provided, which in each case and/or together load thefirst locking member and the second locking member. Due to theredundancy of the spring arrangements, a reliable operation is ensuredeven when one of the two spring arrangements fails due to a defect.

Preferably, it is provided that the locking member in each case includesa guide section which is preferably a distal end of the locking memberformed as bolt, wherein the guide section can be stopped at a firstlower height level in a locking catch and released from the lockingcatch by a vertical movement upward. The locking catch here blocks thelocking member preferably so that it prevents the movable parts of thefolding-top frame from moving in at least one direction along the guideand/or the understructure. The locking member and the locking catchtogether are thus intended for the stopping of the movable parts of thefolding-top frame including the tarpaulin connected thereto.

Advantageously, the locking catch has a stop position in which therespective locking member is blocked or fixed by positive-lockingconnection in at least one direction. Furthermore, on one side or onboth sides of the stop position, an entry slope of the locking catch isprovided, wherein the entry slope works together with the guide sectionof the locking member in order to lift the locking member, when thetarpaulin structure is moved, for example, during the opening or theclosing, and moves it into the stop position. Advantageously, thisoccurs as a result of the locking member being shifted by the entryslope in the unlocking direction, as a rule under tensioning of thespring arrangement associated with the locking member, wherein thelocking member reaches the stop position after clearing the entry slope,stop position in which the associated spring arrangement shifts thelocking member in front of the locking catch in such a manner that apositive-locking blocking occurs. It has to be understood that, when themovable parts of the folding-top frame are actuated, in the case inwhich the locking member is provided in the stop position, the springarrangement cannot be tensioned, so that manual unlocking must takeplace. Furthermore, it has to be understood that more than one lockingcatch can be provided over the length of the guide, since a locking isadvantageous not only in the case of a completely closed tarpaulinstructure, but also in the case of a completely open tarpaulinstructure.

Advantageously, the entry slope of the locking catch ascends toward thestop position of the locking member, so that the unlocking direction ofthe locking member in this case as well points vertically upward. Theprovision of the entry slope acts as a ramp, that is to say the forcewhich a user introduces into the folding-top frame for moving themovable parts of the folding-top frame is deflected by the ramp of theentry slope in the unlocking direction.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that the first lockingmember and the second locking member in each case are guided verticallyon the two frontmost carriages of the foremost strut. The vertical guideonly allows a movement of the locking member in the unlocking directionor the unlocking direction and at the same time it ensures a slight playbetween the frontmost carriage to be stopped and the guide to which thelocking catch is advantageously connected.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that a tilting lever isconnected to the strut, which, at one end, is operatively connected withthe first locking member and, at the other end, is coupled to avertically movable first pulling lever which can be actuated verticallyfor lifting the first locking member. The tilting lever advantageouslyis used primarily for converting the usual unlocking direction, whichresults from vertical pulling on a pulling strap downward by anoperating person, into a pulling movement in the unlocking direction,that is to say upward, of the first locking member. Here, the pullingstrap is connected to the pulling lever, so that the two parts performthe same vertical movement as a result of their coupling. It is possibleto also provide the tilting lever and the pulling lever in the area ofthe second locking member, when an unlocking is to be provided on thisside. However, in that case, the first locking member and the secondlocking member or parts connected thereto have to be coupled in such amanner that both are lifted or lowered at the same time.

However, according to a particularly preferred design, it is providedthat the unlocking occurs on the longitudinal side of the first lockingmember, so that the unlocking arrangement couples the second lockingmember advantageously to the first locking member and/or the secondpulling lever in such a manner that the second locking member is liftedapproximately synchronously and/or simultaneously with the first lockingmember. For this purpose, the first pulling lever is advantageouslyconnected on an end side to a first triangular connecting rod designedin the manner of a rocker, while the second locking member is connectedon an end side to a second triangular connecting rod designed in themanner of a rocker, wherein the first and the second triangularconnecting rods are each fastened to the frontmost strut. The firsttriangular connecting rod and the second triangular connecting rod arethen in each case connected to one another via at least one forcetransmission member with tensile rigidity, such as a rope or preferablya rod, wherein the force transmission member with at least tensilerigidity is guided on the strut connected to the frontmost pair ofcarriages by the two triangular connecting rods. When the first pullinglever is actuated, the force transmission member performs, due to thefirst triangular connecting rod, a movement downward in the direction ofthe longitudinal side of the first locking member, which is converted bythe second triangular connecting rod into a vertical pulling movement ofthe second locking member. It has to be understood that, in order toachieve this kinematic coupling, other parts can also be used orprovided, in particular other intermediate parts which can be connectedbetween the mentioned parts. In order not to achieve over-definedkinematics, it is provided that, in the area of the triangularconnecting rods which perform a pivoting movement and thus are onlylimitedly suitable for the transmission of a linear movement, oblongholes are provided which are capable of compensating for this tolerance.It is possible to guide the transmission member with at least tensilerigidity, in order to prevent buckling out or catching with the load, ina seam or in a sheath or in an eyelet attached in each case to thestrut, as long as the axial movement of the transmission member with atleast tensile rigidity is not prevented thereby.

According to an advantageous design, it is provided that the firstspring arrangement is connected on one end to the strut and on the otherend to the tilting lever, so that the first locking member is not actedupon directly by the first spring arrangement but indirectly via atensile force on the lever arm of the tilting lever, which is turnedaway from the first locking member. Thereby, a tensioning of the firstlocking member in the locking direction is advantageously achieved.

According to an advantageous development, it is provided that the secondspring arrangement is connected, on one end, to the carriage, and, onthe other end, to the second locking member, so that the second lockingmember is tensioned in the locking direction. It has to be understoodthat the first spring arrangement can also be designed as described forthe second spring arrangement. It is also possible that two springs actupon the first locking member, namely a spring like the first springarrangement explained above and another spring like the second springarrangement explained above.

Advantageously, the first spring arrangement and the second springarrangement are both designed as tension springs, like a coil springtype, which are available commercially at low cost and whose functioningis easy to verify, and which can easily be mounted in the availableinstallation space.

Advantageously, it is provided that a pulling strap is connected, forthe movement of the movable parts of the folding-top frame along theguide, to a bow connected to the frontmost pair of carriages, bow whichis turned toward an adjacent pair of carriages, so that, when thepulling strap is actuated, this pair of bows coupled to one another isloaded not only in the shifting direction but also downward. Thereby itis advantageously achieved that the pair of bows connected to oneanother and facing one another stands up at a very late point in time,and so that the frontmost pair of carriages and the adjacent pair ofcarriages are at a great distance from another during most of theshifting movement, which prevents a tilting of the struts by theunilaterally introduced pulling force.

According to an aspect of the invention, a tarpaulin structure for anunderstructure, such as a truck, a trailer, semi-trailer, railway car,dump truck or container, is created, comprising a folding-top frame anda tarpaulin made of weather resistant material, wherein the folding-topframe has a plurality of struts which have, on the ends, in each case acarriage that is displaceable along a guide. Here, at least one bow ispivotally connected either to a pair of opposite carriages of the strutor to the strut, wherein the bow forms a tarpaulin folding aid with abow of an adjacent strut or of a pair of opposite carriages or of astationary part of the folding frame. The tarpaulin structuredistinguishes in that an endless drive device is provided, which iscoupled to one of the two carriages of a frontmost pair of carriages,and in that the drive device comprises a toothed belt which is placedaround two toothed rollers. Thereby, the drive device is formed by aclosed circumferential toothed belt driven by one of the two toothedrollers. For this purpose, the driven toothed roller can sit either on adriven shaft or be engaged with the driven shaft by means of atransmission. The provision of a toothed belt is very advantageous dueto the low slippage and the precise controllability. Furthermore, theprovision of a toothed belt enables the transmission of very high forcesto the carriages, which are necessary in order to move not only thefrontmost carriage but also to pivot the parts such as covering bows orbows or auxiliary bows kinematically connected thereto.

Advantageously, the toothed belt is arranged entirely under the guide,so that it is not necessary to connect the toothed belt to furthercarriages of the folding-top frame or to pivotable parts of thefolding-top frame, such as an actuation rod for a covering bow or thelike.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that, on the twolongitudinal sides, that is on both sides of the understructure, in eachcase an endless toothed belt is provided, which is coupled in each caseto one of the two carriages of a frontmost pair of carriages, so thatthe two opposite carriages of the frontmost pair of carriages can bemoved synchronously in opening or closing direction. Thereby, a tiltingis advantageously prevented, and, in the case of blocking of one of thetwo frontmost carriages, damage to the folding-top frame is alsoprevented.

According to a preferred development, it is provided that the twotoothed belts can be driven by a common driveshaft which ensures thesynchronicity of the driving movement. In a first design, it isadvantageously provided that the driveshaft can be driven by an electricmotor which can be actuated, for example, by actuation of a push buttonin the driver's cab of a commercial vehicle. However, alternatively thedriveshaft can also be driven by a manual crank, or other suitable drivepossibilities are provided for this purpose.

A preferred development distinguishes in that at least one toothedroller, preferably the non-driven toothed roller, is coupled via aconnecting plate to the guide, and that the at least one toothed rollercan be adjusted by an elongate hole provided in the connecting plate orin the guide. Thereby, the tension of the endless toothed belt can beadjusted and weather- or wear-caused increases in length can becompensated. In particular, the toothed belt can also be oriented inthis manner toward the position of the carriages of the frontmost pairof carriages.

Advantageously, a toothed roller, in the case of one driven toothedroller, the driven toothed roller, is connected to a plate adjoining theunderstructure in the opening direction. Thereby, the driveshaft can bearranged outside of the receiving opening itself of the understructure,so that said driveshaft does not come in contact with the transportedgoods.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that the toothed beltstops the frontmost carriage in a closed position without slippage,without the need for an additional locking. Thereby, a manually actuatedlocking can be dispensed with. In addition, the stopping of thefrontmost carriages also brings about the positioning of the partsconnected thereto, such as covering bows and the like.

It has to be understood that, in the case of the arrangement of thetoothed belt under the guide, the pivoting movement of the bows is notaffected by the movement of the carriages by the toothed belt, so thatthe pivoting movement of the bows occurs by the movement along the guideoutside of the toothed belts. Thereby, it is advantageously possiblethat, as a result of the axial movement of the movable parts of thefolding-top frame, pivoted parts do not collide with the drive device.

Advantageously, it is provided that the struts are designed as(inverted) U-shaped, and that a base of the U-shaped strut is arranged,in the closed state of the tarpaulin structure, at the same height asareas of the bows, which are turned away from the carriage. This resultsin a tarpaulin structure which, in the closed state, is essentially atone height when the tarpaulin is connected to the struts and the basesof the bows. Alternatively, it is possible that the strut is arranged ata lower height than the minimum height of the bows. Furthermore, thetarpaulin is advantageously also connected to the arms of the U-shapedstruts, possibly also additionally in the area of the carriages. It isalso possible to connect the tarpaulin to the arms of the U-shaped bows.Due to the overall low installation height of the tarpaulin structure,the latter can be used particularly effectively for covering containersto be transported by road or by rail. Due to the achievable separationsbetween adjacent carriages, the tarpaulin structure also has a lowweight.

Preferably, the carriage includes at least one upper support roller andat least one lower counter-roller, wherein the at least one uppersupport roller and the at least one lower counter-roller lie by means ofa circumferential surface on the small side of a guide rail ofrectangular cross section of the guide, wherein at least one of the atleast one upper support roller and the at least one lowercounter-roller, on both sides of the circumferential surface, in eachcase have an annular flange, and wherein the mutually facing end sidesof the two annular flanges, which protrude over the diameter of thecircumferential surface, partially enclose the broad side of the guiderail. The design of the support roller or of the counter-roller whichensures the connection of the carriage to the rectangular guide railallows not only a movement of the carriage in the direction of the guiderail, but moreover also prevents the support roller or thecounter-roller from sliding out of the guide rail, in that the annularflanges enclose the broad side of the guide rail, wherein the radialprojection of the annular flange with respect to the circumferentialsurface is very small. Thereby, it is possible that, both on the supportroller and also on the counter-roller, in each case annular flangesenclosing the guide rail are arranged, and the carriage cannot fallcompletely off the guide rail. Thereby the guide rail is also able totake up forces in Y-direction via the support rollers and/or thecounter-rollers.

Advantageously, the carriage includes two support rollers which lievertically from above on the small side of the guide rail.Advantageously, in the case of one counter-roller, the latter isarranged so that it defines with the two support rollers an equilateraltriangle and thereby lies approximately centrally between the twosupport rollers on the lower small side. However, alternatively it isalso possible that in each case two pairs consisting of support rollerand counter-roller are provided in each case opposite one another onboth sides of the guide rail.

The selection of the guide rail as a longitudinal rectangular profilepart, preferably made of steel or anodized aluminum, can easily beprocured and/or replaced, since such parts as standard tape measures arereadily available on the market.

Advantageously, the guide rail is connected to an external lateral wallof the understructure via a connection means, wherein the connectionmeans pass through the broad side of the guide rail. As connectionmeans, one can consider using, for example, screws or rivets which areadvantageously guided through a spacer sleeve in order to connect theguide rail to the extent possible at constant distance from the externalwall of the understructure. It has to be understood that the externalwall of the understructure should lie here to the extent possible in oneplane. If the understructure has notches or projections or recesses,then the spacer sleeves have to be dimensioned accordingly, so that theguide rails connected to the understructure on both sides lie inparallel planes. Since the manufacturers know about the buckling ofcontainers in the case of large weight or a hot load, the side wallsalready have a concave starting contour, which the guide rail then hasto follow. Since the small side of the guide rail is directed upward,the guide rail can be moved tightly against the external side of theunderstructure, wherein the guide rail outside the spacer sleeves andconnection means maintains a constant distance from the understructure,which makes it possible for support rollers and counter-rollers arrangedon the carriage to grip around the broad sides of the guide rail.Advantageously, the connection means therefore pass through the broadside of the guide rail centrally in order not to be in the way of thesupport rollers and counter-rollers, as an obstacle.

Advantageously, between the guide rail and the external wall of theunderstructure, a gap is provided so that dirt particles falling betweenthe guide rail and the external wall of the understructure can falldown, for example, between two connection means for the connection ofthe guide rail. In order to make it possible for parts that may come tolie on the small side of the guide rail to fall down through this gap,the distance between the guide rail and the external wall of theunderstructure is not smaller than the extent of the small side of theguide rail. Advantageously, the distance between the guide rail and theexternal wall of the understructure is the same as the extent of thesmall side of the guide rail, for example, in each case 8 mm.

Advantageously, the thickness of the support roller or the thickness ofthe counter-roller is smaller than twice the extent of the small side ofthe guide rail. Thereby, it is ensured that the support rollers andcounter-rollers can roll past the external wall of the understructure,without getting caught on the external wall of the understructure. Sincein fact only an annular flange of the support roller or of thecounter-roller protrudes in the direction of the external wall of theunderstructure past the guide rail, the thickness of the correspondingroller is a rule clearly smaller than the distance between the facingbroad sides of the guide rail, in the case of a guide rail having awidth of 8 mm and a height of 40 mm, not greater than a 2-3 mm thicknessof the annular flange.

According to a preferred design, it is provided that the height of theguide rail, that is to say its broad side, which is arranged vertically,is greater than the height of the support roller and/or of thecounter-roller. The support roller and/or the counter-roller is/are eachdesigned to be slightly smaller than the height of the guide rail.

According to a particularly preferred design, the guide rail is formedfrom several rail sections arranged one after the other, which in eachcase are connected to the external wall of the understructure. This hasthe advantage that, in the case of damage, the entire rail does not haveto be separated from the understructure, repaired or exchanged andfastened again, but instead only the damaged area needs to be repaired.Furthermore, a guide rail formed in sections also adapts better todeformations of the understructure, for example, of the container, whosedimensions can change with the filling or the temperature of thefilling. Finally, the design of the guide rail in the form of individualsub-segments also allows the exchange of a carriage, in that a segmenton which the carriage is arranged, is detached and then pulled off thecarriage, which can then be repaired or exchanged. It is no longernecessary to disassemble the entire tarpaulin structure, take thetarpaulin off the folding-top frame or dismantle multiple parts of thefolding-top frame.

The material from which the guide rail is produced is advantageouslyselected from the group comprising steel and anodized aluminum. Manycontainers are made of aluminum, so that a guide rail made of aluminumis well adapted to the properties of the container. Steel is costeffective and can be processed easily. If the aluminum is anodized, ithas the same surface hardness as steel, so that the rollers made ofsteel cannot damage the guide rail.

A particularly important requirement in the case of a tarpaulinstructure consists in that the tarpaulin structure must not projectsubstantially past the width of the understructure. Advantageously, itis provided that the external side of the guide rail is a distance ofless than 25 mm, preferably less than 20 mm, and possibly ofapproximately 15 mm from the external side of the understructure.

Here, it is moreover advantageous if the distance from an external sideof the carriage to the external side of the guide rail is less than thedistance of the external side of the guide rail from an external side ofthe understructure. Hereby, a small-construction tarpaulin structure isadvantageously produced, which is nevertheless guided in a stable manneron the guide rail.

On the frontmost pair of carriages—facing forward—a covering bow isadvantageously pivotally connected, wherein, when the frontmost pair ofcarriages is moved, the covering bow can be pivoted between apivoted-down position and a pivoted-up position.

Advantageously, it is possible that the bow connected to the pair offrontmost carriages and turned away from the covering bow is loaded, viathe bow of the adjacent pair of carriages, which is connected directlyto the former bow or via a kinematic connecting rod assembly or also bythe tarpaulin, in a direction against the lifting of the tarpaulin, inorder to ensure the longest possible introduction of force in thedirection of the guide. In particular, this loading can occur in thatthe placement angle of the bows is smaller than in the case of the otherpairs of bows, for example, in that a longer bow is used, or else inthat the weight of the bow is increased, for example, by using a heaviermaterial. The pretensioning of the arms of the bows with respect to oneanother in the pairs of bows can also be designed differently, so that,due to the different tensioning of the pairs of bows, the loadingagainst the set-up direction of the tarpaulin is different. Finally, anexpander or a spring can also provide such a force acting against theset-up direction.

Advantageously, the carriages are connected only via at least one uppersupport roller or at least one lower counter-roller to the guide, sothat the uptake of forces both in the direction of the guide and also inthe horizontal direction perpendicular thereto, that is to saytransversely to the understructure, occurs through the support rollers.For the carriages with the support rollers to be able to follow theguide, even when the guide rails are not entirely parallel to oneanother, the struts and bows of U-shaped design can spread apart,whereby a tilting is advantageously prevented.

According to a preferred embodiment, it is provided that the movableparts of the folding-top frame fold up from the back to the front.According to another preferred design, it is provided that the movableparts of the folding-top frame fold up from the front to the back.Substantially the tarpaulin folding aids are to be considered as movableparts of the folding-top frame, while the struts with the carriagesconnected thereto move together. However, a particularly preferreddesign is one in which the connected bows between the frontmost pair ofcarriages and the immediately adjacent pair of carriages are lifted as alast tarpaulin folding aid during the movement in opening direction. Theorder in which the additional pairs of bows or tarpaulin folding aidsare lifted is then of secondary importance, since as a result of theforward moving axis through the immediately adjacent pair of carriages,on the one hand, and through the covering bow, on the other hand, a verystable carriage design is achieved, which enables a long lasting andreliable actuation of the folding-top frame.

The tarpaulin is preferably connected to at least one of carriages andstruts, advantageously both to the carriage and also to the struts, andin particular to the base of their springy U-shape. Since the tarpaulinnot only covers the understructure, but also limits the folding-topframe laterally, advantageously a connection in the area of the arms ofthe U-shaped struts is also provided, wherein the connection can alsooccur in the area of the carriages.

The carriages are advantageously designed so that the carriage comprisesa flat plate and that the support rollers protrude on the same side ofthe plate on which the bows are also pivotally connected. Thereby,movable parts, with the exception of the tarpaulin, are advantageouslyprevented from protruding laterally beyond the plane of the flat plateof the carriage, and accordingly a very compact design is achieved.

Advantageously, the struts are of U-shaped design, wherein, in theclosed state of the tarpaulin structure, a base of the U-shaped strut isarranged at the same height as the areas of the bow turned away from thecarriage. However, it is also possible that the struts connect thecarriages without assuming a U-shape, for example, if the struts areimplemented as hoop shaft or the like.

Advantageously, the guide is arranged at a distance from theunderstructure which is greater than a small side of the guide facingupward, so that dirt particles deposited on the small side are able tofall down on both sides without forming bridges and thus withoutlimiting the functionality of the tarpaulin structure.

Advantageously, the folding-top frame is designed as yielding in ahorizontal transverse direction relative to the shifting direction, inorder to compensate for tolerances or deformations of theunderstructure. This is already achieved by the U-shaped design of thebows, but also of the covering bow, and the struts must be yieldingaccordingly, so that, in particular, areas in which the distance betweenthe bilateral guide rails of the guide is not constant can be runthrough. This is based on the idea that, in contrast to other tarpaulinstructures in which a longitudinal support made of aluminum follows thefolding-top frame, that is to say adapts to its size by deformation, inthe present case the folding-top frame should adapt to the deformationsof the understructure.

The tarpaulin structure overall is characterized in that the force foropening or closing can be introduced on one side, wherein the force foropening or closing advantageously is introduced on only one of the twofrontmost carriages. For this purpose, for example, a belt strap isconnected to the frontmost carriage, which can be gripped by a tool oralso by a part driven by a motor. Since the folding-top frame is set upover an understructure which also has a certain height, for example, inthe case of a tipping trough mounted on a vehicle, the resistance of thefolding-top frame against the opening force must be dimensioned small.

The folding-top frame is advantageously broader than the understructure,so that it can be connected to an external wall of the understructure.The parts of the folding-top frame are advantageously designed as steelparts, wherein, alternatively to a design as a steel part, the guiderail can also be designed as an anodized aluminum part which works welltogether with movable steel parts.

An advantageous use of the tarpaulin structure arises in the form of acover in the case of a container, in the case of a truck, in the case ofa railway car, in the case of a swimming pool, in the case of a carport,in the case of a structure as roof substitute, or in the case of a dumptruck.

Additional properties, advantages and developments of the invention canbe obtained from the following description of a preferred embodimentexample and from the dependent claims.

The invention is explained in further detail below in reference to theappended drawings based on a preferred embodiment example.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view onto the folding-top frame of aninventive tarpaulin structure for a container in the closed state.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the folding-top frame from FIG. 1 in a sideview.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of a carriage from FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of a connecting rod transmission fromFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the frontmost strut from FIGS. 1 and 2with pivoted-down covering bow.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the frontmost strut from FIGS. 1 and 2with pivoted-up covering bow.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the frontmost strut from FIGS. 1 and 2 withpivoted-down covering bow.

FIG. 8A shows an enlarged section of the frontmost carriage on alongitudinal side of the tarpaulin structure with details of a lockingarrangement.

FIG. 8B shows an enlarged section of the frontmost carriage on the otherlongitudinal side of the tarpaulin structure with details of a lockingarrangement.

FIG. 9 shows a diagrammatic representation for an explanation of thelocking arrangement from FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view onto the folding-top frame of a furtherpreferred embodiment example of a tarpaulin structure according to theinvention for a container in the closed state.

FIG. 11 shows a side view of the folding-top frame from FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 shows an enlarged view of a carriage from FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 13 shows an enlarged view of the rear connecting rod transmissionfrom FIG. 10 and FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 shows an enlarged view of the frontmost strut from FIG. 10 andFIG. 11 with pivoted-down covering bow.

FIG. 15 shows an enlarged view of the frontmost strut from FIG. 10 andFIG. 11 with pivoted-up covering bow.

FIG. 16 shows a side view of the folding-top frame from FIGS. 10 and 11with pivoted-down covering bow.

FIG. 17 shows an enlarged perspective view from outside with details ofa locking of the folding-top frame from FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 18 shows an additional enlarged perspective view from outside withdetails of a locking of the folding-top frame from FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 19 shows an enlarged perspective view from inside the folding-topframe according to FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 20 shows an additional enlarged perspective view from inside thefolding-top frame according to FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 21 shows a perspective view onto the folding-top frame of anadditional preferred embodiment example of an inventive tarpaulinstructure for a container in the closed state.

FIG. 22 shows enlarged details of the guide and of the drive of thefolding-top frame from FIG. 21.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a perspective view from the side or a side view of atarpaulin structure 10 is represented, in which a tarpaulin 12 isindicated by a dot-and-dash line representation; to improve therepresentation, said tarpaulin is not represented in the additionalfigures. Furthermore, using dotted lines, the portion of a silhouette ofa container 14 is indicated, over which the folding-top frame 16 is setup. The container 14 is designed, for example, as a tipping trough inwhich debris but also dust-generating materials can be accommodated, andtherefore covering by the tarpaulin structure 10 is advantageouslyrequired under some circumstances even during transport on a truck. Afront end wall 14 a of the container 14 is designed as a trough flapwhich is connected via a pivot articulation 14 b to the container 14 andwhich enables the emptying of the container by tipping.

On both sides of the container 14, on the external side wall thereof,the tarpaulin structure 10 has in each case a connected guide rail 20which consists of a plurality of guide rail sections which are fastenedat a distance from the external container wall to same, for example, byrivets, screws or other suitable fastening means which ensure a defineddistance from the external wall of the container 14. Thereby, the guiderail 20 is formed as a continuous part composed of several subparts andhaving a rectangular profile, which, in the installed state, has upperand lower sides as small sides and the broad sides parallel to thecontainer wall.

On the rear end of the folding-top frame 16 viewed in opening direction,which is represented on the left in FIG. 1, the folding-top frame 16protrudes over the end of the container 14, wherein, in an extension ofthe external wall of the container 14, a substantially triangular panelor plate 22 is connected to the rear side of the container 14, on whichthe guide rail 20 also continues. The purpose of the protruding area isto be able to completely clear the entire filling opening of thecontainer 14 in the open state, in that the movable parts of thefolding-top frame 16, to be described later, can be shifted in thatdirection. In particular, no parts of the tarpaulin structure 16 shouldimpede the filling of the container 14. The triangular plate 22 reachesa higher point than the plane of the guide rail 20 and it extends theexternal side wall of the container 14 also at this height rearward. Inpractice, the sides of a container are frequently referred to inaccordance with the direction in which the container is moved, whereinthe indicated flap 14 a is usually arranged on the rear of the vehicle,but in the present case the area in which the movable parts of thefolding-top frame 16 are gathered when the tarpaulin structure 10 isopen is referred to as rear end, and the front end is the end which iscleared first starting from a closed tarpaulin structure 10.

Moreover, an end abutment 24 spanning the container width is provided,which lies substantially in a plane perpendicular with respect to theguide rails 20 and has an upside-down U-shape, and which is connected bythe ends of the U to the triangular plates 22 to the ends thereof.

Furthermore, the folding-top frame 16 includes a sliding coveringarrangement 30 which is movable along the guide rails 20 and which canbe opened for clearing the loading opening of the container 14 and alsoclosed again for covering it.

The sliding covering arrangement 30 comprises a plurality of carriages32 which can be displaced along the guide rail 20. Each carriage 32lying opposite with respect to a longitudinal bisector, that is to saythe plane arranged centrally between the side walls of the container 14or the plane extending centrally and parallel to the guide rails 20, isconnected to the other via a U-shaped strut 34, wherein the strut 34includes two bent corner pieces 34 a and selectively an elongateconnecting piece 34 b made of a round pipe, which are assembled to oneanother, whereby an advantageous standardization of the parts isachieved. All the struts 34 provided on the carriages 32 lie at the sameheight, which corresponds approximately to the height of the tarpaulin12 when the tarpaulin structure 10 is closed. For this purpose, thetarpaulin 12 is connected via suitable connection means to the struts34, for example, by straps or belts or attachments formed in thetarpaulin 12. The number of carriages 32 and thus of struts 34 can varydepending on the length of the tarpaulin structure 10.

Furthermore, on each carriage 32, on both sides of the strut 34, in eachcase a pivoting bow 36 is pivotally articulated via an articulation 37,which is also assembled via an angle piece 36 a and an elongateconnecting piece 36 b in each case made of a cylindrical pipe. On theend abutment 24 as well, at the height of the carriage 32, a pivotingbow 26 is articulated, which, however, cannot be moved along the guiderails 20. Overall, it is also possible to arrange the pivoting bows 26,36 further upward with respect to the carriage, that is to say on thearms of the struts 34 which are formed by the corner pieces 34 a. In thecase of tarpaulin structures which, for example, are set up over onlyone loading platform, it is sufficient to use bows connected at a mediumheight of the bows. The pivoting bows 26, 36 are at a flat angle ofapproximately 30° relative to the horizontal and enclose an angle ofapproximately 60° with the associated strut 34 or the end abutment 24.In each case, the pivoting bows 26, 36 can be pivoted upward into anangular position of approximately 90° relative to the horizontal, inwhich they extend practically parallel to the respective struts 34 orend abutment 24.

On the frontmost pair of carriages 32′ which are connected to oneanother by struts 34′ which are more stable compared to the other struts34, on the side facing away from the rest of the folding-top frame 16, acovering bow 46 is connected in an articulation 47, which can be pivotedbetween a substantially horizontal pivoted-down position represented inFIG. 5, that is to say at an approximately 0° inclination relative tothe horizontal, and in a vertical position represented in FIG. 6, thatis to say at an approximately 135° inclination relative to thehorizontal. The pivoting movement of the covering bow 46 here tensionsthe tarpaulin 12. One can see that the covering bow 46 comprises againtwo (repeatedly) bent bow sections 46 a and an elongate connecting piece46 b, which are connected at a distance from the strut 34′ to a framesection 320 of the frontmost carriage 32′. Between the articulation 47of the covering bow 46 and the strut 34′, an auxiliary bow 36′ isarticulated in an articulation 37′, which protrudes at an angle ofapproximately 45° relative to the horizontal.

A particularity of a tarpaulin structure 10 for a container 14 consistsin that the container 14 is very rigid, so that the folding-top frame 16must follow the changes in the shape of the container. These changes canbe caused by thermal expansion, for example, by hot filling, or bydeformation of the container, for example, by the weight of the fillingor by mechanical damage. Therefore, a feature of the folding-top frameis that the U-shaped struts 34, pivoting bows 36 and covering bows 46allow a certain resilient deformation in Y-direction, that is to say thehorizontal axis transverse to the movement direction (X-axis). Thus, thefolding-top frame 16 can compensate for tolerances up to 50 mm, withouta disadvantageous impeding of the movement of the carriage occurring.Since, during the handling of the container 14, damage to the guide rail20 can indeed occur, the guide rail advantageously consists of subpartswhich, if necessary, can in each case be detached and exchanged orstraightened. The above-indicated angles also refer to the angle of theplane in which the bow lies relative to the horizontal—the pivoting axisof the articulations 37 in each case lies in Y-direction.

Mutually facing bows 36 of adjacent carriages 32 are connected to oneanother in the area of the angle pieces 36 a via two kinematicconnecting rod assemblies 38, of which one 38 is represented enlarged inparticular in FIG. 4. The kinematic connecting rod assembly is designedas a toggle link in the present case, with a first connecting rod 38 aand a second connecting rod 38 b, which are pivotally connected to oneanother in a common articulation 39. The first connecting rod 38 a isconnected on a rearward facing arm of the angle piece 36 a of the bow36, which is articulated to the respective carriage 32, via anarticulation 39 a, while the second connecting rod 38 b is connected toa forward facing arm of the angle piece 36 a of the bow 36, which isarticulated to the respective carriage 32, via an articulation 39 b. Dueto the type of articulated connection, the kinematic connecting rodassembly 38 in each case moves in a vertical plane which lies entirelyoutside of the upper opening of the understructure 34 and thereforecannot come in contact with the loaded goods, wherein the bend formed bythe articulation 39 gives way downward when the two articulations 39 a,39 b are moved toward one another when the carriages 32, 32′ are shiftedtoward one another. Thereby, when the connecting rods 38 a, 38 b arefolded up, the bend folds in an unproblematic area and, importantly, thespace enclosed by the tarpaulin 12 is not perforated. However,additionally or alternatively, it is also possible to couple or connectmutually facing bows 36 to one another in the area of their connectingpieces 36 b via the kinematic connecting rod assembly 38, which are thencollapsed in a horizontal plane. It is possible that the connecting rods38 a, 38 b are designed or arranged so that the bend can indeed be movedmainly vertically downward, but at the same time also slightly outward,in order to push the tarpaulin 12 a little outward when the carriages 32are moved together.

In the closed state of the tarpaulin structure 10, the connecting rods38 a, 38 b are arranged in a quite extended state and in each caseenclose an angle of approximately 20° relative to the horizontal,resulting in an opening angle of approximately 40°. When the associatedstruts are shifted together, the connecting rods 38 a, 38 b assume anangle of almost 86° relative to the horizontal, resulting in an openingangle of the connecting rods 38 a, 38 b of less than 10°.

Two kinematic connecting rod assemblies 38 are also provided between thebow 26 articulated to the end abutment 24 and the rearmost of the bows36, so that the movable part of the folding-top frame 18, which issupported by the carriage 32, 32′, is coupled to the non-movable part towhich the end abutment 24 belongs. Thereby, the tarpaulin structure 10is also advantageously reinforced in this area. It is also possible toprovide a kinematic connecting rod assembly 38 only in this area and tocouple the bows 36 otherwise in another manner to one another. However,preferably, all the mutually facing bows 36 are provided with akinematic connecting rod assembly 38 and as a rule with two kinematicconnecting rod assemblies 38, forming a tarpaulin folding aid for thetarpaulin 12 along with the two bows 36. However, it is particularlypreferable that at least the bow 26 is connected to the bow 36 turnedtoward it via a kinematic connecting rod assembly 38 which for the firsttime allows a flexible connection of the movable parts of thefolding-top frame 16, that is to say the sliding covering arrangement30, and of a stationary portion, that is to say the end abutment 24.

One can see in particular in FIG. 2, that in the closed state of thetarpaulin structure 10, the area which is at a distance from thecarriages 32 of the rigid struts 34 on the one hand, and of the pivotingbows 36 on the other hand, lie at a height so that the tarpaulin 12 liessubstantially in a horizontal plane.

In FIG. 3, details of the connection of the struts 34 and pivoting bows36 to a carriage 32 are shown individually. The carriage 32 comprises acarriage plate 32 a, on which two upper support rollers 33 a and a lowercounter-roller 33 b are articulated, which rotate around an axis inY-direction and which are represented with dotted lines since they areconnected on the inner side of the carriage plate 32 a. The bent endpiece 34 a of the bow 34 is arranged in the form of a tubular sectionbent 90° in a vertical plane in Y-direction and is connected to an upperend of the carriage plate 32 a. The two angle pieces 36 a of the twopivoting bows 36 are pivotally connected via articulation pins 37 a tobores forming articulations 37 in the carriage plate 32 a. One can seethat the ends of the angle pieces 36 a include two projections 360 eachhaving an articulation eye 361, and are therefore designed asdouble-shear articulation bearings, so that the carriage plate 32 a withits bores goes in between the two projections 360. Thereby, aparticularly bend-resistant guiding of the bow 36 on the carriage 32 canbe achieved. Furthermore, one can see that there is no pivotinglimitation for the articulations 37.

In FIGS. 5 to 7, details of the connection of strut 34′, pivoting bow36, auxiliary bow 36′ and covering bow 46 on a frontmost pair ofcarriages 32′ are shown.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show in greater detail the frontmost carriage 32′ withreinforced strut 34′ articulated thereto, from which in openingdirection a bow 36 articulated to the articulations 37 starts. On theside opposite the articulation 37 with regard to the strut 34′, anauxiliary bow 36′ is articulated on an articulation 37′, which turns outto be less high than the bow 36 and which is also designed in the shapeof an upside-down U. As can be seen clearly in FIG. 2, the auxiliary bow36′ forms an alignment with the covering bow 46, to the effect that thetarpaulin 12, starting from the tubular connecting piece of the strut34′ and via the auxiliary bow 37′, also reaches the front connectingpiece 46 b of the covering bow 46, thus making possible a tarpaulinguide which falls more or less at a slant, converging with the end ofthe understructure 14 and thus reliably covering said understructure.

The carriage 32′ includes a very broad carriage plate 32 a′ which isguided in each case on two support rollers 33 a′ and a counter-roller 33b′ arranged opposite each support roller 33 a′ with regard to the guide20. In order to improve the support with respect to the understructureand/or the guide 20, the carriage 32 further includes two guide rollers51 (FIG. 6) which are rotatable around a vertical axis and supportedagainst the broad side of the guide rail 20, wherein it is also possiblethat the guide rollers 51 roll against the side wall of theunderstructure 14. The carriage 32′ can also provide four guide rollers51.

The frontmost carriage 32′ in each case has a frame section 320 whichextends above the guide 20 in a horizontal plane coincidingapproximately with the articulations 37, 37′ and which protrudesforward, that is to say in closing direction of the tarpaulin structure10, over the frontmost support roller 33 a′. The frame section 320 ishere designed as a bent, U-shaped metal plate part which is fastened tothe base plate 32 a′ of the frontmost carriage 32′ by means of bolts 321or else alternatively by means of screws. The frame section 320 is heredesigned to be open downward and thus connects two plate halves 322 a,322 b of the base plate 32 a′ of the frontmost carriage 32′ which areadditionally connected to one another via other connecting means.

On the upward facing base of the frame section 320, a fitting or section323 connected to the frame section 320 is provided, in which the pivotbearing for the articulation 47 of the covering bow 46 is provided;furthermore, an additional pivot bearing 61 for an additional connectingrod transmission 60 to be described in greater detail below is providedfor pivoting the covering bow 46. The upward-facing surface of thesection 323 forms a support for the covering bow 46 in its pivoted-downposition, whereby the covering bow 46 is coupled to the carriage 32′ andlies on said carriage via the frame section 320, so that a directsupport on the understructure 14 is avoided. This moreover has theadvantage that the frontmost carriage 32′, after unlocking of a lockingarrangement 70 to be explained in greater detail below, can also bemoved with pivoted-down covering bow 46 along the guide 20, so that theprocess of the unlocking of the locking arrangement 70, of the moving ofthe frontmost strut 34′ and the pivoting up of the covering bow 46cannot occur simultaneously but occur instead in brief succession.Moreover, the frame section 320 also forms a support area 320 a on itsupward facing base for the arm 46 a of the covering bow 46 when saidcovering bow is in its pivoted-up position.

As can be seen in greater detail in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pivoting bow 46is composed of several pipe sections, namely each of two bent sections46 a defining a side arm, which can be pivoted in each case in thearticulation 47, and of a tubular connecting piece 46 b which connectsthe two bent sections 46 a to one another.

Here, the bent section 46 a is bent more than once, so that an angulararm is formed, which then has an angle which is extended by the tubularconnecting piece 46 b. The angular arm 46 a has a short arm section 460and a long arm section 461, which are angled with respect to one anotherby an arm angle of approximately 120°, wherein the end of the short armsection 460, which is turned away from the arm angle, is articulated tothe articulation 47 of the frontmost carriage 32′, and the end of thelong arm section 461, which is turned away from the arm angle, is bentat the end in the direction of the tubular section 46 b.

The short arm section 460 and the long arm section 461 are connected toone another by a brace 463 which itself in turn is angled and lies withthe short arm perpendicular to the short arm section 460, while its longarm joins the long arm section 461 at an acute angle. The brace 463reinforces the arm 46 a in a vertical plane, in that a kind of triangleis constructed.

The side of the connecting brace 463 facing away from the long armsection 461 forms a support area 463 a which forms a support surfacethat rests fully on the support 323 when the covering bow 46 is pivoteddown. Thereby, the covering bow 46 in the pivoted-down state rests onthe support 363 and can be moved readily, in particular without noisegeneration, with the carriage 32′ along the guide 20, without beingguided itself on the guide rail 20.

On the connecting brace 463, at its end connected to the long armsection 461, a hook 80 is pivotally connected via an articulation 81(FIG. 5). The hook 80 has an engagement recess 82 which can be coupledwith a bolt 85 inserted in an eye 84 on the end of the frame section320, which is turned away from the strut 34′, by the force of gravity ofthe hook 80 so that the engagement projection 82 slides behind the bolt85 and thus prevents a pivoting up of the covering bow 46 when thetarpaulin structure 10 is arranged horizontally.

It is possible that the hook 80 includes several engagement sections 82which are arranged more or less one beneath the other when the hook 80is pivoted down and thus have the appearance of a sawtooth profile, sothat, when the covering bow 46 is not pivoted down completely, forexample, due to deformations, soiling or a protruding load, a locking ofthe hook 80 with the bolt 85 occurs nevertheless.

Furthermore, it is possible to arrange the hook 80 on the frame section320 and to arrange the bolt section forming a counter-bearing on thecovering bow 46, wherein it must then be ensured that the center ofgravity of the hook articulated on the frame section 320 lies below itsarticulation, so that the engagement section is reliably engaged to forma positive locking with the counter-bearing.

A particular advantage of the hook 80 consists in that, in the case inwhich the understructure 14 is pivoted, for example, to bring about atipping of a load from the understructure 14 by pivoting the flap 14 aup around the articulation 14 b, the hook 80 is also is disengaged fromthe bolt 85. In this case, the pivoting movement of the flap 14 a aroundthe articulation 14 b requires that a portion of the flap 14 a ispivoted into the area in which the closed covering bow 46 with thetarpaulin 12 connected thereto is located. However, the pivotingmovement of the understructure 14 results in the hook 80 also pivotingdue to the force of gravity, so that the hook 80 is freed from thecounter-bearing 85 and enables the covering bow 46 to perform a pivotingmovement. Thereby, the flap 14 a of the understructure 14 isadvantageously prevented from deforming the covering bow 46 in spite ofits being locked on the frame section 320 of the carriage 32′.

Furthermore, the hook 80 has an abutment surface 80 a which enables thehook 80 a to be knocked free from its position in which it is lockedwith the bolt 85. For this purpose, an abutment member 89 on the guide20 is provided, which protrudes in the manner of a bolt from the broadside of the guide rail 20 and against which the abutment surface 80 a ismoved when the tarpaulin structure 10 is opened. Due to the slanted orrounded shape of the abutment surface 80 a, the hook 80 is pivotedaround the articulation 81 and is thus disengaged from the bolt 85 onthe frame section 320. Thereby, it is advantageously made possible thatthe carriage 32′ with the covering bow 46 connected thereto can also bemoved along the guide 20, and the locking of the covering bow 46 on thefrontmost carriage 32′ is released, without the hook 80 having to beactuated separately for this purpose. Thereby, the abutment surface 80 amakes it possible that, when the carriage 32′ is moved axially, the hook80 is disengaged from the bolt 85 and thus the locked covering bow 46and the carriage 32′ are uncoupled. The hook 80 therefore has twounlocking possibilities, namely, on the one hand, by pivoting theunderstructure 14, and, on the other hand, by axial movements of themovable parts of the folding-top frame 16 along the guide 20.

Advantageously, the hook 80 can have a guide surface, in particular whenit is connected to the frame section 320, which enables a pivoting ofthe hook when the hook again runs over the abutment member 89 when thefrontmost carriage 32′ is moved in the closing direction, so that thehook 80 does not lock with the abutment member 89. In the presentembodiment example, in which the hook 80 is connected to the coveringbow 46, the abutment surface 80 a also assumes the function of the guidesurface.

Furthermore, in FIGS. 5 and 7 one can see that the elongate connectingpiece 46 b of the covering bow 46 in the pivoted-down state descends tothe level of the frame section 320, so that the tarpaulin 12 practicallyreaches the upper edge of the understructure 14.

In FIG. 7 in particular, one sees that the connecting rod 46 includes inthe area of its articulation 47, that is to say in extension of the arm46 a or of the short arm section 460, an extension 465 which is receivedin an upwardly open area of the part 323 of the frame section 320 and istherefore only partially visible.

On the end of the extension 465, which is turned away from thearticulation 47, a bearing point 465 a is formed, which enables anintroduction of force for the pivoting of the covering bow 46. It ispossible to connect a longitudinally movable drive to the bearing point465 a, which is supported, for example, against the carriage 32′ andthus in a motor-driven manner brings about the pivoting of the coveringflap 46. However, in the present embodiment example, a connecting rodtransmission 60 is provided for this purpose, which converts a shiftingmovement of the carriage 32′ along the guide 20 into a pivoting movementof the covering bow 46.

The connecting rod transmission 60 includes an actuation rod 62 which ismounted by articulation in the bearing point 61, and an intermediateconnecting rod 63 which, on one end, is mounted by articulation in thebearing point 465 a, and, on the other end, is mounted on the actuationrod 62 via an articulation 64 which is provided at a distance from thebearing point 61. The articulation pins in the bearing points 465 a, 64are in each case implemented as sliding blocks which can each be movedin circular sliding tracks 66, 67 around the articulation 47 or thearticulation 61, wherein the sliding tracks 66, 67 are intended toprevent a sideward buckling out of the connecting rods 62, 63 of theconnecting rod transmission 60. The sliding tracks 66, 67 formed in thecarriage 32′ can also be omitted, without affecting the basic functionof the connecting rod transmission 60. A lateral guiding of the parts ofthe connecting rod transmission 60 in the frame section 320 is alsopossible.

One can see that the articulation 61 of the actuation rod 62 is locatedin front of the articulation 47 of the covering bow 46, wherein the twoarticulations 47, 61 are arranged in the same horizontal plane. However,the distance of the articulation from the respective sliding track 66,67 is different, so that a transmission ratio between the two slidingblocks 465 a, 64 is advantageously achieved. It is also possible toprovide the articulations 47, 61 in different planes, or, on the otherhand, instead of the connecting rod 63, several connecting rods can beprovided, as, for example, in a four-joint transmission, which couplethe extension 465 to the actuation rod 62.

The actuation rod 62 works together with a deflection member 69 attachedto the guide rail 20, which deflection member can be a roller or a pinor the like. When the carriage 32′ is moved, the actuation connectingrod 62 by its inner side 62 a, which faces the deflection member 69, ofa bent end section turned away from the articulation 61 engages with thedeflection member 69, and the deflection member 69 causes the actuationrod 62 to perform a pivoting movement around the articulation 61.Thereby, via the intermediate connecting rod 63, the extension 465 isforced to perform a pivoting movement, whereby the covering bow 46 ispivoted upward. The sliding guides 66, 67 are here formed so that theycan limit the pivot angle of the covering bow 46.

If the carriage 32′ is moved along the guide 20, the inner side 62 a ofthe actuation rod 62 comes in contact with the deflection member 69, sothat, when the carriage 32′ is moved further along the guide 20, thecovering bow 46 is pivoted up. Due to the curved or bent shape of theend section of the actuation rod 62, the actuation rod 62 is pivotedinto a position in which the end 620 of the actuation rod 62 lies in aplane above the deflection member 69, so that the carriage 32′ can slidewith the connecting rod transmission 60 and the actuation lever 62,which is then arranged in extension of the frame section 320, over thedeflection member 69. Here, the sliding track 67 can include aprojection such that the actuation rod 62 is lifted only just above thedeflection member 69, but then falls somewhat back again, so that, whenthe frontmost pair of carriages 32′ is moved backward, the external side62 b of the actuation rod 62 comes in contact on its external side 62 bwith the deflecting member 69 and is moved in the opposite direction, sothat the covering bow 46 is again pivoted into its pivoted-downposition. Here, due to the symmetry, it is provided that the coveringbow 46 in each case includes on each of its two arms 46 a an extension465 and that on both sides a connecting rod transmission 60 is providedon the extension 465 in each case for pivoting the covering bow 46,wherein, on one side of the folding-top frame 16, a deflection member 69for controlling the pivoting up movement of the covering bow 46 isprovided, when a deflection member 69 for controlling the pivoting downmovement of the covering bow 46 is provided on the other side of thefolding-top frame 16.

It has to be understood that the deflection member 69 is provided at adistance from the carriage 32′ or the connecting rod transmission 60articulated thereto such that, when the carriage 32′ is moved axially inX-direction, the hook 80 is first knocked free and it is only thereafterthat the covering bow 46 is pivoted up. It is possible to connect theconnecting rod transmission 60 to the hook 80, so that instead of thehook 80 being knocked upward, it is moved by the connecting rodtransmission 60, wherein then, under the force of gravity, theconnecting rod transmission 60 also must be designed so it is designedas pivotally movable, in order to disengage the hook 80 from thecounter-bearing 85, which in the present case, however, is readilyobtained. The connecting rod transmission 60 allows a partial pivotingup of the covering bow 46 during tipping of the understructure 14.

In FIGS. 8A and 8B, in each case enlarged, a portion of the frontmostcarriage 32′ of one longitudinal side (FIG. 8A) and of the otherlongitudinal side (FIG. 8B) of the tarpaulin structure 10 is shown, towhich the locking arrangement 70 is connected. The locking arrangement70 has a first locking member 71 shown in FIG. 8A, wherein the firstlocking member 71 is implemented as a flat material cut from astrip-shaped band. The locking member 71 has a first section 71 a whichis arranged as axially movable in a longitudinal guide 90 provided onthe frontmost carriage 32′.

The first locking member 71 includes an end section bent twice in theshape of a U, turned away from the first section 71 a, end section whichcontains a fold directed in the direction of the longitudinal bisectorand an additional fold perpendicular thereto, wherein the additionalfold includes an upwardly directed end which forms a guide section 71 bof the locking member 71. On the opposite longitudinal side, a secondlocking member 72 is guided longitudinally slidably in a correspondinglongitudinal guide 90 by means of a first section 72 a, wherein thesecond locking member 72 protruding from the longitudinal guide 90includes a section which is bent twice in the shape of a Z and turnedaway from the guide section 72 a in the longitudinal guide 90, whereinsaid section includes a first folding area in the direction of thelongitudinal bisector and lying in the horizontal plane, and anadditional folding section protruding vertically downward therefrom,with an end that forms a guide section 72 b of the second locking member72.

A first locking catch 91 is associated with the first locking member 71in the area of the guide rail 20 on the understructure 14, and, on theopposite side, a second locking catch 92 is associated with the secondlocking member 72 and screwed to the inner side of the longitudinalguide 20 in such a manner that the support rollers 33 a′ andcounter-rollers 33 b′ can run along the rail 20 past the locking catch92. The locking catch 91 of the first locking member 71 and the lockingcatch 92 of the second locking member 72 each have a central recess 91a, 92 a which is limited on both sides of the locking catch in such amanner that, when the locking member 71, 72 is in the inserted position,said locking member cannot be moved in the direction of the guide line20, so that the carriage 32′ is stopped in each case on the rail 20.

The first locking member 71 is movable in a first unlocking direction Y1(FIG. 9), which points vertically downward, so that the guide section 71b reaches under the locking catch 91 and can thus be moved past thelocking catch 91. For the unlocking, the second locking member 72 can bemoved in a second locking direction Y2 (FIG. 9) which is opposite fromthe first locking direction Y1 and thus points vertically upward,whereby the guide section 72 b of the second locking member 72 isreleased from the locking catch 92.

Here, the first locking member 71 is connected to the second lockingmember 72 by means of a force transmission member with at least tensilerigidity designed as rope 77 and guided in the front strut 34′ from onelongitudinal side to the other longitudinal side, wherein the rope 77 isconnected to the two locking members 71, 72. If the first locking member71 is pulled downward via a pulling strap 79 which is connected via anarticulation 79 a to the first locking member 71, the rope 77 bringsabout an upward pulling of the second locking member 72. Instead of therope 77, a rod assembly, a chain or another force transmission memberwith at least tensile rigidity can be provided.

The locking catch 91, 92 has a central recess 91 a, 92 a which forms astop position of sufficient width so that the locking members 71, 72 canbe inserted therein. On both sides of the stop position 91 a, 92 a, anentry slope 91 b, 92 b is formed in each case, which protrudes foldedaway from a base area connected to the guide rail 20, so that it engagesat least with the downward facing end of the guide member 71, 72. Theentry slope is in each case run over in X-direction and has a ramp-likeinclination in Y-direction.

The first locking member 71 and the second locking member 72 are eachpretensioned by a compression spring 93, 94 designed as a coil spring inthe direction of the recess 91 a, 91 b of the locking catch 91, 92, sothat the first locking member 71 is pushed upward and the second lockingmember 72 is pushed downward. The first spring arrangement containingthe first compression spring 93 and/or the second spring arrangementcontaining the second compression spring 94 is in each case arranged inthe area of the longitudinal guide 90, wherein an area laterallyprotruding from the locking member 71, 72 forms a counter-bearing forthe compression spring 93, 94, and a projection provided on thelongitudinal guide 90 forms the second counter-bearing for therespective compression spring 93, 94, which is representeddiagrammatically in FIG. 9.

In FIG. 8A one can see that the entry slope 91 b of the first lockingcatch 91 is slanted in the direction of the stop position 91 a away fromthe longitudinal guide 90, that is to say downward, while the entryslope 92 b of the second locking catch 92 (FIG. 8B) is slanted upward inthe direction of the stop position 92 a, that is to say in the directionof the guide 90. Here, the guide section 71 b of the first lockingmember 71 is tensioned in the direction of the lower surface of theentry slope 91 b by the spring 93, while the guide section 72 b of thesecond locking member 71 is tensioned in the direction of the uppersurface of the entry slope 92 b by the spring 94.

If, during the movement, the respective guide section 71 b, 72 b runs onthe entry slope 91 b, 92 b, when the entry slope 91 b, 92 b designed inthe manner of a wedge ramp is run over, the horizontal movement inX-direction moves the locking member 71, 72 in unlocking direction Y1,Y2, until the guide section 71 b, 72 b is led past the entry slope 91 b,92 b. Then, the spring 93, 94 in relaxing moves the locking members 71,72 against the unlocking direction Y1, Y2, so that the locking members71, 72 or their guide sections 71 b, 72 b are held in the stop position91 a, 92 a, thus locking the frontmost carriage 32′ on the guide 20.

It has to be understood that, in the end position, in which thefrontmost carriage 32′ is held, one entry slope 91 b, 92 b is inprinciple sufficient; however, in the present case the locking catch 91,92 is designed on both sides with entry slopes 91 b, 92 b, so that thesame component can also be provided at the other end of the guide 20, inorder to be able to stop the shifted-together, opened folding-top frame16 in the maximum open position.

A pulling strap 79 engages with the first locking member 71, which isrepresented partially in FIG. 8a , by means of which the first lockingmember 71 can be moved downward, and, via the rope 77, the secondlocking member 72 can at the same time be moved upward. For this, it issufficient that a sufficiently large force component engages downwardwith the pulling strap 79, so that the locking arrangement 70 consistingof the first locking member 71 and the second locking member 72 isreleased with respect to the locking catches 91 and 92, and thehorizontal force component is introduced as movement force into thefrontmost carriage 32′. After the unlocking and movement of the carriage32′ away from the stop position, it is possible to actuate not thepulling strap 79, but rather an additional pulling device 78 (FIG. 1)which engages with the bow 36. Thereby, the force in X-direction isintroduced more evenly into the two frontmost carriages 32′ which areconnected by the pivoting bow 36.

In the drawings, one sees that the rollers 33 a, 33 b in each case havea grooved circumferential surface, wherein the groove width is identicalto or slightly greater than the small side of the rectangular guide rail20. Thereby, the carriages 32, 32′ are centered automatically on thesmall side of the guide rails 20, and the possibility of the rollerssliding off the rail 20 is advantageously avoided.

Each additional carriage 32 includes, as shown in FIG. 3, two uppersupport rollers 33 a and one or two counter-rollers 33 b, thecircumferential surface of which is in contact in the grooved area withan upper small side and with a lower small side of the guide rail 20. Onboth sides of the circumferential surface, the rollers 33 a, 33 b have aflange, also referred to as annular flange, which borders the broad sideof the guide rail 20, which lies in a vertical plane, over a smallheight corresponding to the projection of the annular flange over thecircumferential surface. The projection measures a few millimetersapproximately, so that a sufficient height of the guide rail 20 ofapproximately 40 mm remains, in order to set screws approximatelycentrally for the connection to the container 14 by the broad side. Theheight of the rollers 33 a, 33 b in the same way is 38 mm including theannular flange and thus smaller than the height of the guide rail 20.The distance of the guide rail 20 from the external wall is the same asits width, namely 8 mm (or 7.5 mm). The distance of the external side ofthe carriages 32, 32′ from the external side of the guide rail 20 isapproximately 10 mm, so that the projection of the folding-top frame 16over the understructure 14 in Y-direction on each side is less than 30mm, preferably about 25 mm.

The folding-top frame 16 of the tarpaulin structure can compensate fortolerance variations in the distance between the two guide rails 20 ofup to +/−50 mm, in that the bows 26, 36, 36′, 46 and the struts 34 withtheir arms are spread apart from one another or bent toward one another.The elasticity of the bows 26, 36, 36′, 46 and struts 34 makes this playavailable at the level of the carriages 32, 32′.

In order to distribute the carriages 32, 32′ in the closed state of thetarpaulin structure exactly along the guide rail 20, a pulling bandformed as a wire is connected in each case to the carriages 20 and tothe end abutment 24 on both longitudinal sides of the tarpaulinstructure 10. The pulling band prevents the carriages 32, 32′ fromassuming a greater distance from one another than is desirable for theclosed position, and since the pulling band is less expandable than thetarpaulin connected to the struts 34, 34′ and bows 36, the pulling bandalso unloads the tarpaulin 12. The pulling band is here connected firmlyto the support plates of the carriages and guided in a hem of thetarpaulin 12 so that it cannot hang down and at the same time tensionsthe hem against the understructure 14. In order to better take up forcesintroduced by the carriages, the tarpaulin 12 can include areinforcement, such as in an incorporated belt, in the area of thecarriages.

The invention then functions as follows:

In the closed position of the tarpaulin structure 10, which is shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the covering bow 46 is locked in each case by one of thehooks 80 against one of the frontmost carriages 32′ in each case. Thefrontmost carriages 32′ in turn are fastened by the locking arrangement70 to the guide 20. By means of the lowered covering bow 46, thetarpaulin 12 is tensioned, wherein the tarpaulin 12 is fastened to atleast one of the struts 34 and of the pivoting bows 36. In addition, thetarpaulin 12 is advantageously connected to them in the area of thecarriages 32, 32′, in order to also ensure as much as possible that thespace to be covered by the tarpaulin structure 10 is hidden laterallyfrom view and tamper-proof. For this purpose, it is possible that thetarpaulin 12 includes wires or the like in the area of its hem, whichtension the hem when the tarpaulin structure 10 is closed, but which,when the tarpaulin structure 10 is open, are capable of following thelifting of the tarpaulin 12 brought about by the lifting of thetarpaulin folding aid formed by two pivoting bows 36 and kinematicconnecting rod assemblies 38 arranged in between.

Starting from this closed position, the covering bow 46 or the frontcarriage 32′ is unlocked, and the operation of the folding-top frame 16can occur from just one side.

In order to open the tarpaulin structure 10, in a first step, thepulling strap 79 is pulled with a downward directed component. Thelocking arrangement 70 then unlocks the locking members 71, 72 from thelocking catches 91, 92, and as soon as the frontmost carriage 32′ hasmoved to some extent in X-direction, the locking members 71, 72 can nolonger be pushed back by the springs 93, 94 into the locking catch 91,92.

To further open the tarpaulin structure 10, in a second step, the hook80 with its abutment surface 80 a strikes the abutment member 89, sothat the hook 80 is pivoted around its articulation 81 and thus releasesthe covering bow 46 from the frontmost carriage 32′.

For the further opening of the tarpaulin structure 10, in a third step,the actuation rod 62 strikes the deflection member 69, so that themovement for the shifting of the frontmost carriage 32′ is convertedinto an upward pivoting movement of the covering bow 46, until saidcovering bow rests with its short arm section 460 on the area 320 a ofthe frame section 320.

It has to be understood that the above three steps can also be carriedout with temporal overlap or in a different order.

During the further continuation of the shifting movement along the guide20, the tarpaulin folding aids piles up, until all the carriages arearranged in a shifted together packet in the rear area of the guide 20on the plates 22. There, the locking arrangement 70 locks the packet toan additional locking catch 91, 92.

The closing movement occurs in reverse order compared to the openingmovement, wherein here too the force introduction occurs on one side onthe frontmost carriage 32′, for example, via a strap connected thereto.However, it is also possible to connect a pulling means driven by motorto one of the frontmost carriages 32′, in order to automatically openand close the tarpaulin 12. During the pulling of the frontmost carriage32′ along the guide rail 20, the tarpaulin 12 and the tarpaulin foldingaid made of the pivoting bow pairs 36 unfold again.

First the rear locking arrangement is unlocked, then the tarpaulinfolding aids 36, 38 are unfolded, and finally the covering bow 46 ispivoted down via the connecting rod transmission 60, after which thehook 80 engages with the counter-bearing 85, before the locking members71, 72 are again transferred into the front locking catches 91, 92 viathe entry slopes 91 b, 92 b and brought into the stop position therewhen the springs 93, 94 are unloaded.

In FIGS. 10 to 20, an additional embodiment example of a folding-topframe 1010 for a tarpaulin structure is shown, wherein the samereference numerals as in the preceding embodiment example designate thesame or structurally equivalent parts, and modified parts, which will bediscussed substantially in the following explanations, are incrementedup by 1000.

First, one can see in FIGS. 10 and 11 and in FIG. 13, that a kinematicconnecting rod assembly 38 is provided only between the pivoting bow 26linked to the end abutment 24 and the rearmost pivoting bow 36 of thesliding covering arrangement 30. The additional bows 36 of the slidingcovering arrangement 30, on the other hand, are coupled to one anotheron their connecting pieces 36 b, wherein a pivot angle limiter 1038prevents the bows 36 from being shifted over one another.

In FIG. 12 one sees that the bows 36 or their corner pieces 36 a areconnected only on one side to the base plate 32 a of the carriage 32;the carriage is connected by the support rollers 33 a and thecounter-rollers 33 b in such a manner that it can be moved along theguide 20. The strut 34 is here connected firmly to the base plate 32 aof the carriage 32.

As can be seen in further details in FIGS. 14 to 16, on the frontmostpair of carriages 32′ which are connected to one another by thefrontmost strut 34′, a frame section 1320 is connected, which supportsboth a support roller 33 a and a counter-roller 33 b, which are arrangedon both sides of the guide 20, wherein, moreover, on the frame section1320 of the frontmost carriages 32′, an auxiliary bow 1036 isarticulated. The auxiliary bow 1036 is here at a sufficient distancefrom the frontmost strut 34′ so that it can be turned over and leanagainst the bow 34′. Moreover, on the frame section 1320, a cover bow1046 is articulated, which can be pivoted around an articulation 1047.In the closed position (FIG. 14), the cover bow 1046 rests on the framesection 1320, in particular by a lower section 1463, designed as a leg,of its truss-like arm 1046 a. Here, in the closed state (FIG. 14), thecovering bow 1046 extends over the frame section 1320, whereinapproximately in the center of the arm 1046 a, an articulation isprovided, which holds a hook, not represented, which creates aconnection with the frame section 1320. Due to the locking of thecovering bow 1046 on the frame section 1320 closer to the rotation point1047 of the covering bow 1046, the guide 20 can be designed to beshorter overall, since the hook 80 is knocked out of its locking there.

Moreover, the covering bow 1046 includes an actuation rod 1062 whichstarts from the arm 1046 a and which can be turned by a deflectionmember attached to the guide rail 20, in such a manner that the coveringbow 1046 is moved into its lifted position. The deflecting member ishere designed as a folding with a slant which provides sufficientresistance for the lifting of the covering bow 1046, but which can berun over in the case of backward movement of the possibly loweredcovering bow.

In FIGS. 14 and 16, one sees that a first pretensioning member 1901connects the covering bow 1046 to the auxiliary bow 1036 in the area oftheir connecting pieces 1046 b, 1036 b. The pretensioning member 1901 ishere designed as a belt which, in the lowered configuration of thecovering bow 1046 as represented in FIG. 14, is tensioned, but which islargely untensioned when the covering bow is lifted as represented inFIG. 15. Thus, the first pretensioning member 1901 serves essentiallyfor lifting the covering bow 1046 when the locking between the coveringbow 1046 and the frame section 1320 is released. Thereby, the force tobe introduced into the actuation rod 1062 is lower than thatpredetermined by the weight and the dimensions of the covering bow 1046.

Moreover, the connecting piece 1036 b of the auxiliary bow 1036 iscoupled by a second pretensioning member 1902, which is designed as anelastic belt, to the connection section of the frontmost strut 34′. Thetwo ends of the second pretensioning member 1902 are here connected tothe bow 34′ in the area of the connecting piece thereof, while a centralarea is placed twice around the connecting piece 1036 b of the auxiliarybow 1036. Thereby, it is advantageously achieved that the secondpretensioning member 1902 is not completely untensioned even if theauxiliary bow 1036 is pulled in contact against the frontmost strut 34′,wherein the tension acting on the auxiliary bow 1036 is also transmittedvia the first pretensioning member 1901 to the covering bow 1046. By thedescribed measures, it is achieved in particular that, even if thepulling movement occurs on the movable parts of the sliding coveringarrangement 30, the covering bow 1046 remains substantially in theactuated position, largely independently of its opening position, anddoes not fall back onto the frame section 1320 due to its weight.

One can see that the length of the actuation rod 1062 is atapproximately two-thirds of the distance of the connecting piece 1046 bfrom the rotation point 1047, so that a sufficiently advantageoustransmission results, enabling an operating person to pivot the coveringbow 1046 up by pulling on the pulling device 78. Irrespective of this,the covering bow 1046 also pivots when the understructure 14, forexample, a tipping trough, is tipped, as explained for the precedingembodiment example.

Moreover, in FIGS. 14 to 20, a locking arrangement 1070 which has beenmodified in comparison to the preceding embodiment examples can be seen,and which enables an unlocking of the sliding covering arrangement 30from locking positions provided on the guide 20, by actuating a pullingstrap 79. If the locking device 1070 is released from the lockingposition, the sliding covering arrangement 30 can be moved along theguide 20 by pulling on the pulling device 78, wherein the covering bow1046 is pivoted up, and the locking member which fastens the coveringbow 1046 to the frame section 1320 is released. At the same time, theprovision of the pulling device 78 on one of the bows 36 ensures thatthe force necessary in particular for pivoting the covering bow 1046does not primarily lead to a setting up of the bow 36, since the pullingmotion also pulls said bow down.

The locking arrangement 1070 includes a first locking member 1071 and asecond locking member 1072, which are each arranged on differentlongitudinal sides of the tarpaulin structure 1010 and which, in thearea of the frontmost carriage 32′, in each case have to be moved in anunlocking direction Y1, that is to say lifted, in order to unlock thesliding cover 30. The first locking member 1071 and the second lockingmember 1072 here comprise in each case a long pin which is axiallymovable in a corresponding vertical guide 1070 a of the carriage 32′,wherein an area of the locking members 1071, 1072 protruding over thearea of the base plate 32 a of the frontmost carriage 32′ protrudesrespectively upward and downward over the base plate 32 a.

The first locking member 1071 comprises an L-shaped projection 1071 bwhich is provided on the upper end of the locking member 1071, by meansof which it is possible to adjust the penetration depth of a distalguide section 71 a of the locking member 1071, implemented as tip ofsaid guide section, in relation to a first locking catch 1091. Incontrast to the preceding embodiment example, the locking catch 1091 isformed by a substantially L-shaped metal plate which has an entry slope1091 b which rises in closing direction, that is to say when the slidingcovering arrangement 30 is moved from the open position into the closedposition. The entry slope 1091 b thus lifts the locking member 1071until it is lowered under the load of a spring arrangement 1093, to beexplained in greater detail below, into its stop position 1091 a. Inorder to move the locking member 1071 from the locked position past theentry slope 1091 b, the locking member 1071 has to be lifted, whichoccurs by actuation of the pulling strap 79. In the same way, on theopposite longitudinal side with respect to a longitudinal bisector ofthe understructure 14, the second locking member 1072 is provided with aguide section 1072 a formed as a tip and with an L-shaped projection1072 b as well as with a locking catch 1092 with entry slope 1092 b andstop position 1092 a. However, on its end turned away from the guidesection 1072 a, the guide section 1072 b of the second locking memberhas an additional fold 1072 d parallel to the plane of the strut 34.

The upper end of the L-shaped projection 1071 b of the locking member1071 is articulated at the end in an articulation 1073 a to a tiltinglever 1073 which in turn is articulated via a clip 1073 b and a centralarticulation 1073 c to the strut 34′. On the side of the tilting lever1073 opposite the locking member 1071, a pulling lever 1075 with a bolt1073 e is articulated in an oblong hole 1073 d which extendssubstantially parallel to the arm 34 a′ of the strut 34′.

The pulling lever 1075 is folded in the shape of an L from a steel platepart, so that the two arms 1075 a, 1075 b enclose a right angle ofapproximately 90 degrees. On the arm 1075 a, a pin 1073 e is provided,which couples the pulling lever 1075 to the oblong hole 1073 d of thetilting lever 1073. Moreover, a connection 79 a of the pulling strap 79is connected to the arm 1075 a of the pulling lever 1075, so that, whenthe pulling strap 79 is pulled, the lever arm of the tilting lever 1073,which is connected to the locking member 1071, is pulled downward aroundits central rotation axis 1073 c and thereby the locking member 1071 ispulled upward. Engaging moreover with the arm of the tilting lever 1073,which is turned away from the locking member 1071, is a first springarrangement 1093 which is connected via clip 1093 a to the strut 34′.The first spring arrangement 1093 pretensions the tilting lever 1073 insuch a manner that the locking member 1071 is pretensioned into itslower position. The pretensioning of the first spring arrangement 1093therefore must be overcome when the pulling strap 79 is pulled, in orderto disengage the first locking member 1071 from the locking catch 1091.

Due to the L shape of the pulling lever 1075, the vertical movement inthe plane of the tilting lever 1073 is converted into a substantiallyhorizontal movement in the plane of the second arm 1075 b of the pullinglever 1075. A free end of the arm 1075 b of the pulling lever 1075 iscoupled here to a first triangular connecting rod 1074 designed in theform of a rocker at an articulation point 1074 a, said triangularconnecting rod being articulated on an opposite end at an articulationpoint 1074 b to a force transmission member 1077 designed as a pullingrod. In an articulation 1074 c, the triangular connecting rod 1074 iscoupled to a base 34 b of the U-shaped strut 34′, so that, when thepulling lever 1075 is moved downward, the connecting rod 1077 is pulledby the pivoting of the triangular connecting rod 1074 to thelongitudinal side, on which the pulling strap 79 is provided. Thereby,the pulling force on the pulling strap 79 is also transmitted to theopposite side represented in FIG. 17, as explained in further detailbelow.

It has to be understood that, instead of a connecting rod 1077, a ropeor a chain could also be provided, since what matters is essentially thetransmission of pulling forces, and a force transmission member withtensile rigidity is sufficient for this purpose. However, since theparts connected to the frontmost carriage 32′ or to the frontmost strut34′ can twist somewhat, and since certain tolerances therefore occur,the use of a pulling rod 1077 which is with compression rigidity as wellis preferable. Furthermore, this ensures that, in the case of thefailure of one of the two spring arrangements 1091, 1092, thepretensioning of the remaining spring arrangement is sufficient toreliably lock the two sides of the folding-top frame 1010.

The end of the connecting rod 1077, which is turned away from thepulling strap 79, is coupled via a bearing point 1078 a of a secondtriangular connecting rod 1078 designed as a rocker, which has an oblonghole 1078 b, on the opposite end with respect to a articulation 1078 c,for fastening to a strap of the strut 34′. The triangular connecting rod1078 is thus positioned so that, when the connecting rod 1077 is movedin the direction of the pulling strap 79, the arm of the triangularconnecting rod with the oblong hole 1078 b is lifted.

In the oblong hole 1078 b, a bolt 1072 e provided on the fold 1072 d isreceived, which brings about the connection of the second locking member1072 with the second triangular connecting rod 1078. If the connectingrod 1077 is pulled in the direction of the longitudinal side of thefirst locking member, the second triangular linking rod 1078 pulls thesecond locking member upward against the locking direction and thepretensioning of the second spring arrangement 1094.

The second spring arrangement 1094 also engages on the projection 1072 bin an eye 1094 c designed for this purpose, wherein the other end of thesecond spring arrangement 1094 is received on the carriage 32′. Thesecond spring arrangement 1094 here has the effect that the secondlocking member 1072 is in each case tensioned downward in the verticaldirection, so that the second spring arrangement 1094 designed astension spring also has to be overcome when the pulling strap 79 isactuated. By the provision of a first spring arrangement 1093 which isassociated with the first locking member 1071 and of a second springarrangement 1094 which is associated with the second locking member1072, it is ensured that the two spring members 1093, 1094 arepretensioned in each case in closing direction. Although a common springarrangement for the two locking members would be sufficient for thispurpose, due to the redundant design by the provision of two springarrangements 1093, 1094, the reliability of the locking is increasedadditionally.

An additional measure consists in that the guide section 1072 a of thesecond locking member 1072 is designed to be slightly shorter or isadjusted slightly higher than the guide section 1071 a of the firstlocking member 1071. Thereby, it is ensured in any case that, when thefirst locking member 1071 is disengaged from the associated lockingcatch 1091, the second locking member 1072 is also released from thesecond locking catch 1092, since it is released first. Thereby, thesliding covering arrangement 30 is prevented from being already pulledin opening direction when the second locking member 1072 is stillengaged with the second locking catch 1092.

One can see that the engagement depth of the locking members 1071, 1072can in each case be adjusted, so that disturbances in thesynchronization which occur as a result of play, tolerances anddeformations of the folding-top frame during the unlocking of thelocking members 1071, 1072 can be compensated. The adjustment occurs byadjusting the bolts having the tips 1071 a, 1072 a on the associatedL-shaped projection 1071 b, 1072 b, wherein the bolt can be provided forthis purpose with an external thread in order to be fixed by means ofscrewing in terms of its height on the respective projection 1071 b,1072 b. The projection 1071 b, 1072 b and the bolts as well as theadditional connection means then form the locking member 1071, 1072,wherein the projection can also be shaped differently than shown in thepresent example.

Furthermore, one sees that in the carriage 32′ in each case a guide 1070a for one of the locking members 1071, 1072, respectively, is provided,which makes it possible that the locking members 1071, 1072 are movedvertically in each case and can also not avoid the locking catch 1091,1092.

FIGS. 21 and 22 show an additional embodiment example of a folding-topframe 2010 for a tarpaulin structure, which is basically constructedlike the preceding embodiment example, so that the differences incomparison to the preceding embodiment example of the folding-top frame1010 are incremented up by an additional 1000.

The folding-top frame 2010 distinguishes by an endless drive device 2950which is provided on each of the two longitudinal sides under the guide20 and which in each case is coupled to one of the two carriages 32′ ofa frontmost pair of carriages. The drive device is here designed as atoothed belt 2952 which is placed around two toothed rollers 2951.Thereby, a particularly reliable and slippage-free drive on twolongitudinal sides of the tarpaulin structure 2010 can be achieved.

In FIG. 22 one can see that the drive device 2950 designed as toothedbelt 2952 is placed around two toothed rollers 2951 connected onopposite ends of the longitudinal side of the understructure 14, whereinthe roller 2951 provided in the area of the frontmost carriage 32′ whenthe tarpaulin structure is closed is provided on a fitting 2953, whichenables an adjustment. For this purpose, the fitting 2953 is coupled viaa connection to the guide 20, which allows a pivoting movement, wherein,in the fitting 2953, an oblong hole 2954 is provided, which enables anadjustment with respect to a pin 2955. Accordingly, the toothed belt2952 can be tensioned or untensioned.

The two toothed belts 2952 enable a precise movement of the frontmostcarriage, so that a common drive shaft for the two toothed belts 2952 isprovided. The toothed belts have practically no slippage and do notshift, so that no tilting of the pulled frontmost carriage 32′ of thetwo longitudinal sides occurs, even in the case of repeated opening andclosing movements.

It has to be understood that a locking 70, 1070 by the precisepositioning of the belt drive 2950 is no longer necessary, since thebelt drive 2950 then holds the frontmost carriage 32′ of the frontmostpair of carriages in position, even when the frontmost pair of carriagesis in its completely closed position.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the pivoting up movement of thecovering bow 1046 and the release of the lock 80 occur due to the axialmovement of the sliding covering arrangement 30 along the guide 20, sothat the drive device 2950 is not directly connected to the pivotingparts.

In addition, the features of the above embodiment examples can bereadily combined with one another.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the tarpaulin structure 10 covers a container 14. Ithas to be understood that the tarpaulin structure 10 can also be usedfor covering other drivable or transportable or stationary substantiallycuboid understructures or understructures that at least have arectangular opening, for example, for the roof of a truck, a trucktrailer, a bus, a dump truck or a semi-trailer, for the roof of arailway car, for a standing structure such as a carport or a swimmingpool. Lateral openings can also be covered, wherein the describedarrangement is then used accordingly lying on its side at 90°—optionallywith small modifications.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the struts 34 contain angled corner pieces 34 a. It hasto be understood that the struts 34 can also consist only of an elongateconnecting part such as the connecting piece 34 b wherein theflexibility for the tolerance compensation in Y-direction can beobtained, for example, by a telescopic section.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which, in the closed state of the tarpaulin structure 10, theupper edges of the struts 34 and the upper edges of the pivoting bow 36are arranged at the same height, whereby a large distance betweenadjacent struts 34 is possible, since the tarpaulin 12 is connected bothto the pivoting bows 36 and also to the struts 34. Thereby it isachieved in particular that the tarpaulin structure is set up over thecontainer 14 in Z-direction, that is to say in the vertical direction,with a certain minimum separation at least in the closed state, so thatparts protruding slightly over the filling height of the container 14 donot block the functionality of the tarpaulin structure 10, in particularthe opening and closing. It has to be understood that it is alsopossible to arrange the height of the struts 34 and of the pivoting bow36 at different heights when the tarpaulin structure is closed.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the length of the pivoting bows 26, 36 between twostruts 34, 34′, connected to one another by in each case two connectingrod transmissions 38, is mutually identical. It has to be understoodthat the length of the pivoting bows 36 also can be of different sizes,whereby their weight is influenced, and the order in which the tarpaulin12 is lifted can also be influenced advantageously.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the tolerance compensation has been achieved over thewidth in Y-direction by resilient bent struts 34 or bows 36 implementedas tubular sections. It has to be understood that the struts andpivoting bows can also be designed with other cross sections.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the struts 34 and the pivoting bows 36 as well as thecovering bow 46 are formed in the shape of a U with rounded corners,wherein the arms of the struts and bows in each case are arrangedsubstantially perpendicularly to the bases of the struts 34 and bows 36,46. Thereby, it is advantageously achieved that the parts of the struts34 and bows 36, 46 branching off from the carriages 32, 32′, that is tosay their arms are arranged substantially still outside of the loadingopening of the container 14. It has to be understood that it is possibleto provide the angle between base and arm of the struts and bows alsowith a smaller or larger angle, so that the appearance of the struts andbows are then substantially trapezoidal.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the length of the arms of the pivoting bows 36 is thesame for all the pivoting bow pairs. It has to be understood that thelength of the arms can also be adjusted to be different, for example,two different lengths of a pairing or different lengths of differentpairings, whereby the setting up behavior of the tarpaulin folding aidscan be controlled.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the guide rail 20 consists of several guide railsections which are each screwed individually on the external side of thecontainer 14. It has to be understood that a continuous guide rail canalso be used.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the guide rails 20 extend substantially in a straightline. It has to be understood that the guide rails can also execute atrajectory, namely curved both in the direction of the longitudinalbisector of the tarpaulin structure and also curved in verticaldirection as well as combinations thereof.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the kinematic connecting rod assembly 38 is providedbetween all the pairs of mutually facing bows 26, 36. It has to beunderstood that it is also possible that just one pair of mutuallyfacing bows 26, 36 can be coupled to one another by at least one andpreferably two kinematic connecting rod assemblies. Furthermore, it ispossible that more than two kinematic connecting rod assemblies cancouple the adjacent bows to one another. Moreover, it is possible thatthe kinematic connecting rod assemblies are connected not in the area ofthe lateral vertical plane of the bows, but rather in the area of ahorizontal plane.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the kinematic connecting rod assembly 38 consists of afirst connecting rod 38 a and a second connecting rod 38 b, which areconnected to one another. It has to be understood that the kinematicconnecting rod assembly can also contain additional connecting rods, andthat, in addition to the connecting rods, additional parts can also beprovided in the area of the articulations or of the connecting rods,which influence or promote the pivoting behavior of the kinematicconnecting rod assembly.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the kinematic connecting rod assembly includes twoconnecting rods which have their lowest point in the area of the commonconnection when it descends. It has to be understood that it is alsopossible that the two connecting rods can be connected in each case toeach of the two bows, and can be guided there in a sliding track inorder to enable the mutually facing bows to approach one another.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the covering bow 46 can be pivoted between apivoted-down state, in which it lies on a support 323 of a frame section320, and a pivoted-up state, in which it lies on an additional section320 a of the frame section 320. It has to be understood that it ispossible to provide additional stable or metastable positions for thecovering bow 46, and that the support of at least one of the states ofthe covering bow 46 can also be provided on another portion of thefrontmost carriage. Furthermore, it is possible that the covering bow 46is also supported in its pivoted-up state against the frontmost strut orthe auxiliary bow.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the auxiliary bow 36′ is articulated close to thefrontmost strut 34′. It has to be understood that the auxiliary bow canalso be articulated to the frontmost carriage 32′ at a distance from thefrontmost strut 34′, for example, approximately centrally between thearticulation 47 of the covering bow 46 and the frontmost strut 34′.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the tarpaulin 12 connects to one another struts, bowsand covering bows arranged next to one another. It has to be understoodthat moreover elastic belts, springs and other tensioning means canconnect the parts to one another in order to introduce a tension intothe folding-top frame. Thus, for example, it can be provided that thebows 36 are pretensioned by a suitable spring means in the direction ofthe associated strut, so that they fold up substantially automaticallywhen the locking arrangement 70 is released. A pretensioning can also beprovided in the reverse direction, so that the movable parts of thefolding-top frame unfold automatically after unlocking of the rearlocking arrangement.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the covering bow 46 includes an extension 465 which isactuated by the intermediate connecting rod 63. It has to be understoodthat the intermediate connecting rod 63 can also be connected directlyto the arm 46 a of the covering bow or that the extension 465 itself isdesigned as an actuation rod which works together with the deflectionmember 69.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the covering bow 46 can be locked to the frontmostcarriage 32′ via a pivotable hook 80, wherein the hook 80 is pivotallyconnected to the covering bow 46. It has to be understood that the hookcan also be connected to the frontmost carriage or that on the two partsin each case a hook can also be connected, hooks which alternatelyengage with a counter-bearing.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the locking arrangement 70 is provided in the frontmoststrut 34′. It has to be understood that the locking arrangement can alsobe provided on one of the other struts, for example, when thefolding-top frame can be opened from both sides.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the locking members 71, 72 can be moved in oppositeunlocking directions Y1, Y2. It has to be understood that by kinematicreversal the unlocking directions can also be oriented in the samedirection.

The invention has been explained above in reference to an embodimentexample in which the connecting rods 38 a, 38 b of the kinematicconnecting rod assembly 38 are very elongate and enclose an angle ofapproximately 40°. It has to be understood that this angle can be variedfor the adaptation of the folding-top frame 16 to an understructure 14,without the angle of the bow 36 having to be changed.

Thereby, the tarpaulin structure can be adjusted very flexibly todifferent lengths of understructures, in that the angle between theconnecting rods 38 a, 38 b is varied by arrangement of at least thecarriages 32 that is at least more approximately equidistant or evenabsolutely equidistant, so that a homogeneous roof partitioning isachieved. It is also possible to select the angles between theconnecting rods 38 a, 38 b of the kinematic connecting rod assemblywithin a tarpaulin structure 10 to be different.

1-49. (canceled)
 50. A tarpaulin structure for an understructure, suchas a truck, trailer, semi-trailer, railway car, dump truck or container,comprising a folding-top frame, and a tarpaulin made ofweather-resistant material, wherein the folding-top frame comprises aplurality of struts, wherein each end of the strut comprises a carriagewhich is displaceable along a guide, wherein a first of the strutscomprises a locking arrangement which can be unlocked by one-sidedactuation, wherein the locking arrangement comprises a first lockingmember and a second locking member which are arranged on differentlongitudinal sides of the tarpaulin structure, wherein the first lockingmember and the second locking member can be axially moved at the sametime for an unlocking, wherein the first locking member and the secondlocking member can be unlocked by pulling on the first locking memberfrom outside of the folding-top frame, wherein the first locking memberand the second locking member are operatively connected via a forcetransmission member with at least tensile rigidity, and wherein theforce transmission member with at least tensile rigidity is guided onthe first strut.
 51. The tarpaulin structure according to claim 50,wherein the force transmission member with at least tensile rigidity isselected from the group comprising a rope and a rod.
 52. The tarpaulinstructure according to claim 50, wherein the first strut is attached tothe frontmost pair of carriages, and wherein the first locking member isguided along a first frontmost carriage of the first strut, and whereinthe second locking member is guided along a second frontmost carriage ofthe first strut.
 53. The tarpaulin structure according to claim 50,wherein the first locking member and the second locking member arerespectively axially displaceable, wherein the first locking member andthe second locking member can respectively be stopped in a lockingcatch, and wherein the locking catch encloses the locking member so thatthe locked locking member prevents the movable parts of the folding-topframe from being moved along the guide.
 54. The tarpaulin structureaccording to claim 50, wherein a first spring arrangement is associatedwith the first locking member and loads the first locking member againstits unlocking direction, and wherein a second spring arrangement isassociated with the second locking member and loads the second lockingmember against its unlocking direction.
 55. The tarpaulin structureaccording to claim 50, wherein the first locking member and the secondlocking member each comprise a guide section, and wherein the guidesection can be stopped at a first height level in a locking catch andcan be released by an axial movement from the locking catch.
 56. Thetarpaulin structure according to claim 55, wherein the locking catchcomprises a stop position, wherein the locking catch comprises at leastone run-up slope adjoining the stop position, and wherein the run-upslope works together with the guide section in order to displace thelocking member into the stop position when the tarpaulin structure isdisplaced into a position where the locking catch is provided.
 57. Thetarpaulin structure according to claim 56, wherein the run-up slope ofthe locking member slopes toward the stop position of the lockingmember, and wherein the first locking member and the second lockingmember are respectively displaceable in a vertical direction.
 58. Thetarpaulin structure according to claim 50, wherein the first lockingmember is displaceable into a first direction for unlocking, and whereinthe second locking member is displaceable also into the first directionfor unlocking.
 59. The tarpaulin structure according to claim 50,wherein a tilting lever is attached to the first strut, which, at afirst end, is operatively connected with the first locking member and,at a second end opposing the first end, is coupled to a verticallymovable first pulling lever which can be actuated vertically for liftingthe first locking member.
 60. The tarpaulin structure according to claim59, wherein a pulling strap engages with the first pulling lever andprotrudes between tarpaulin and folding-top frame over an external areaof the tarpaulin structure, wherein the pulling strap can be gripped forthe unlocking of the locking arrangement.
 61. The tarpaulin structureaccording to claim 59, wherein the first pulling lever is connected onan end side to a first triangular connecting rod designed in the mannerof a rocker, wherein the second locking member is connected on an endside to a second triangular connecting rod designed in the manner of arocker, wherein the first and the second triangular connecting rod arein each case connected to the strut, and wherein the first and thesecond triangular connecting rod are respectively connected to oneanother via the at least one force transmission member with tensilerigidity.
 62. The tarpaulin structure according to claim 59, wherein afirst spring arrangement is associated with the first locking member andloads the first locking member against its unlocking direction, whereina second spring arrangement is associated with the second locking memberand loads the second locking member against its unlocking direction,wherein the first spring arrangement is connected on one end to thestrut and on the other end to the tilting lever such that the firstlocking member is tensioned in locking direction, wherein the secondspring arrangement is connected on a first end to the carriage and on asecond end to the second locking member such that the second lockingmember is tensioned in locking direction, and wherein the first springarrangement and the second spring arrangement respectively are designedas tension springs.
 63. The tarpaulin structure according to claim 50,wherein a pull loop for the movement of movable parts of the folding-topframe along the guide is connected to a bow connected to the frontmostpair of carriages and thus also loads this bow downward duringactuation.
 64. The tarpaulin structure according to claim 50, whereinthe first locking member is displaceable into a first unlockingdirection for unlocking, wherein the second locking member isdisplaceable at the same time into a second unlocking direction forunlocking, wherein the first unlocking direction is opposite from thesecond unlocking direction, wherein the force transmission member withat least tensile rigidity is guided in the first strut, wherein thefirst unlocking direction is vertically downward and the secondunlocking direction is vertically upward, wherein a longitudinal guidefor respectively one of the locking members is provided on each of theforemost carriages, wherein a pulling strap engages with the firstlocking member and protrudes between tarpaulin and folding-top frameover an external area of the tarpaulin structure, and wherein thepulling strap can be gripped for the unlocking of the lockingarrangement and for the movement of the movable parts of the folding-topframe along the guide.
 65. The tarpaulin structure according to claim50, wherein at least one bow is pivotally connected either to one of apair of opposite carriages of the strut and the strut, wherein the bowforms a tarpaulin folding aid along with a bow pivotally connected toone of an adjacent strut and an adjacent pair of opposite carriages. 66.A covering structure for an understructure, such as a truck, trailer,semi-trailer, railway car, dump truck or container, comprising afolding-top arrangement, and a covering made of weather-resistantmaterial, wherein the folding-top arrangement comprises a plurality ofstruts comprising opposing end portions, wherein the end portions of thestrut are displaceable along a guide-rail arrangement, wherein a firststrut of the struts comprises a locking arrangement which can beunlocked by a one-sided actuation force, wherein the locking arrangementcomprises a first locking member and a second locking member which arearranged at the opposing end portions of the first strut, wherein thefirst locking member is capable to be locked in a first locking catchand the second locking member is capable to be locked in a secondlocking catch, wherein the first locking member and the second lockingmember can be axially moved by said one-sided actuation forcesubstantially at the same time for an unlocking out of the first lockingcatch and of the second locking catch, wherein the locking arrangementcomprises a force transmission rod operatively coupled the first lockingmember and to the second locking member to have said first and secondlocking members move substantially at the same time, and wherein theforce transmission rod is axially guided on the first strut.
 67. Thecovering structure according to claim 66, wherein a tilting lever isoperatively coupled to the first strut, wherein the tilting lever has afirst end operatively coupled with the first locking member, wherein thetilting lever has a second end opposing the first end and operativelycoupled to a first pulling lever which can be actuated for pulling thefirst locking member, wherein the first pulling lever is operativelycoupled to a first triangular connecting rod designed in the manner of arocker, wherein the second locking member is operatively coupled to asecond triangular connecting rod designed in the manner of a rocker, andwherein the first and the second triangular connecting rods areoperatively coupled by the force transmission rod, such that an axialmovement induced onto the first locking member is transferred into anaxial movement of the second locking member to displace said first andsecond locking members out of said first and second locking catches atsubstantially the same time responsive to said one-sided actuationforce.
 68. A receptacle, comprising an understructure and a tarpaulinstructure for covering and uncovering the understructure, wherein thetarpaulin structure comprises a folding-top frame and a tarpaulin madeof weather-resistant material, wherein the folding-top frame comprises aplurality of struts, wherein each end of the strut comprises a carriagewhich is displaceable along a guide, wherein a first of the strutscomprises a locking arrangement which can be unlocked by one-sidedactuation, wherein the locking arrangement comprises a first lockingmember and a second locking member which are arranged on differentlongitudinal sides of the tarpaulin structure, wherein the first lockingmember and the second locking member can be axially moved at the sametime for an unlocking, wherein the first locking member and the secondlocking member can be unlocked by pulling on the first locking memberfrom outside of the folding-top frame, wherein the first locking memberand the second locking member are operatively connected via a forcetransmission member with at least tensile rigidity, and wherein theforce transmission member with at least tensile rigidity is guided onthe first strut.
 69. The receptacle according to claim 68, wherein theunderstructure is selected from the group comprising a truck, a trailer,a semi-trailer, a railway car, a dump truck, a dump container and acontainer.